Illicium Orion™ 'NCIH2'
Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Illicium ‘NCIH2’
- Phonetic Spelling
- il-LISS-ee-um
- This plant has high severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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The Orion™ shrub in the Schisandraceae family is an NCSU introduction from Tom Ranney, bred at the Mountain Crop Improvement Lab. It is a hybrid between I. floridanum and I. mexicanum, which are now classified under the former's name.
This evergreen shrub will grow 3 to 5 feet tall and wide. It does best in partial shade and well-drained, moist soil, tolerating shady, damp, and wet sites well. Deer-resistant.
The large, pale, fragrant white flowers have numerous strap-shaped petals and bloom multiple times throughout the year with an anise-like fragrance. The glossy leaves are fragrant and remain attractive all year. The star-shaped seed pods also add interest.
Use this shrub to attract pollinators to shady to partially shady areas as in foundations, hedges, as a specimen or understory plantings. Use along a pond or in a rain garden.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
- See this plant in the following landscape :
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Illicium
- Family:
- Schisandraceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Hybrid origin
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Fragrance
- Edibility:
- All species and cultivars of Illicium, except for I. verum (Chinese Star Anise), have varying levels of toxicity.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Poisonous
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Fruit Type:
- Aggregate
- Follicle
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- A star-shaped follicetum about an inch in diameter, yellow-green when immature and brown when mature. 9-14 seeds per fruit.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Gold/Yellow
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Solitary
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Long Bloom Season
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Radial
- Flower Petals:
- more than 20 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- This cultivar has large, yellowish-white flowers with numerous strap-shaped, radial petals (averages 22). They are solitary and are outward-facing to nodding. They last 5-10 days and each has a slight anise fragrance. The shrub itself has two main bloom seasons, first in April-May and again in September-November, blooming sporadically in between.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Leathery
- Smooth
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Long-lasting
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The fragrant, glossy, leathery leaves are evergreen, staying on the plant all year long. They are yellow-green in color and arranged alternately to almost whorled on the stems. The veining is reticulate.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Light Brown
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Smooth
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Round
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Lateral branches range between 7.5 and 18 inches long. The shape is rounded and has a very thin diameter, no more than 1/4 inch. Internodes are between 2.5 and 5 inches long. The stem surface is smooth, the color yellow-green maturing to a grey-brown.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Naturalized Area
- Pond
- Slope/Bank
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Garden for the Blind
- Pollinator Garden
- Rain Garden
- Shade Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Border
- Foundation Planting
- Hedge
- Mass Planting
- Small groups
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Pollinators
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Wet Soil
