What soil and rainfall does star anise need and can it tolerate the plains heat at all?

Star anise wants a cool, moist, humid subtropical hill climate with good well distributed rainfall, deep fertile well drained acidic soil, and some shade especially when young. It does not tolerate the heat and dryness of the plains, so the honest answer is that the plains are not suitable. Its natural range is cool higher hills, and in India only certain Northeast hill pockets come close to those conditions. Even in suitable hills it is slow and not widely commercial. So if your location is hot or low, star anise is not a realistic crop. If you are in a cool moist hill area, check soil and rainfall against these needs and consult a research station, but do not attempt it in warm plains expecting it to adapt, the climate mismatch is too large.