Florida anise tree is one of those plants that rewards the adventuresome. Illicium floridanum 'Pink Frost' is an upright evergreen shrub with large, leathery, elliptical leaves splashed in creamy white variegation—glossy and substantial, with the kind of presence that reads well in a shady corner from a distance. The flowers are a secondary feature: small, deep red, and starry in form, appearing in spring. The foliage is the reason to grow it.

It wants shade to part shade and handles average to regular moisture. Deer resistant, low maintenance if it likes your conditions, and useful as a screen, foundation plant, or bold presence in a mixed border.

This isn't a plant you'll find at every nursery—if you run across it, that's your moment. For a similar effect in colder climates or where availability is a problem, Pieris japonica 'Little Heath' offers comparable variegated evergreen foliage in shade, a variegated Euonymus fortunei achieves a related goal with considerably more cold hardiness and wider availability, or Pittosporum tobira 'Shima' brings similar bold variegated evergreen presence—though like the Illicium, it's a mild-climate plant, best in Zones 8–10. None has quite the same leaf scale, but all hold their own as foliage anchors in a shade planting.