star anise

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun An aromatic evergreen tree (Illicium verum) cultivated in China and Vietnam, having star-shaped anise-scented fruits that yield an essential oil used as a flavoring and in the manufacture of certain drugs.
• noun The dried fruit of this plant, used ground or whole in Asian cooking.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun The aromatic fruit of a Chinese shrub or small tree long supposed to be the Illicium anisatum of Linnæus, but recently determined to be a distinct species, I. verum (named by J. D. Hooker).
• noun The tree which yields star-anise.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun A plant, Illicium verum, used primarily for its star-shaped seed which resembles anise in scent and flavor, and which is used as a spice. Valued for its decorative shape as well as its flavor. Also used commercially as a source of shikimic acid for the production of Tamiflu.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun anise-scented star-shaped fruit or seed used in Asian cooking and medicine
• noun small shrubby tree of Japan and Taiwan; flowers are not fragrant
• noun small tree of China and Vietnam bearing anise-scented star-shaped fruit used in food and medicinally as a carminative