Star aniseed, or China aniseed, is the fruit of a small evergreen tree of the order Magnoliacae, somewhat resembling a laurel. It receives its name from the star-like form of the fruit or capsule, which consists of a number (6 to 12) of hard, woody, one-sided follicies or carpels ending in a point, each containing a single brown, shiny seed. Star aniseed is held in high esteem by the Japanese and is planted near their temples, the seeds being burned as incense in the temples and over the graves of relatives. The whole plant is carminative, and is used by the Chinese as a stomachic and as a spice in their cookery. The qualities of the seed and oil closely resemble those of the common aniseed and the oil is exported to Europe for the same purpose--flavoring liquors. Saffron Consists of the dried stigmas of the autumn or fall crocus plant (crocus sativus), which should not be confounded with the spring crocus (crocus vernus), to which it is nearly allied. The crocus derives its name from Crogeus--which is from the Greek word Krokus, yellow--the modern Korghy in Cilicune, where it was grown in ancient times. The word “crocodile” is derived from the Greek words Krokos, yellow, and deilos, fearful, on the ancient supposition the animal avoided the place where saffron grows and only sheds real tears when in the vicinity of a crocus field, hence Fuller says: “The crocodile tears are never true, save he is forced where saffron groweth.” The phrase, “crocodile tears,” arose from the idea that the crocodile pretended to cry over the victims it had devoured. Saffron was of great importance ages ago. It is mentioned in the third chapter of Solomon’s Songs; it was in favor among the ancient Greeks as a dye, and with both them and the Romans as a perfume. The streets of Rome were sprinkled with saffron when Nero made his entry into that city. In the middle ages it was employed in cookery and as a drug, and it is on record that as late as the fifteenth century persons were burned alive in Muremburg for adulterating saffron. It was introduced to England in 1339 from Tripoli by a pilgrim who had a stolen bulb in the hollow of his staff. Its main use was to color pastry and confectionery, hence: “I must have saffron to color the warden pies” (Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale, act 4, scene 1). The town of Saffron Waldron in Essex, derives its name from the fact of its being cultivated in that neighborhood until 1768. The cultivation of the crocus for saffron in England has entirely died out; altho the people of Cornwall at the present day use more saffron than all the rest of Great Britain. It is cultivated in China, Cashmere, Persia, Asia Minor, Egypt, Austria, Hungary, Russia, Italy, France, but the chief source of supply is Spain.