Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently purchased a veiled chameleon. He's about 2 inches long and I have him in a 20 gallon tall reptarium. I went to the garden stores around here and couldn't find any of the listed safe plants for chameleons. I did however find a Japanese Anise that sounded a lot like the Japanese Aralia that is safe for them.

The Japanese Anise has a strong liquorish smell to it. Do you know if it is safe?

Star anise (Illicium floridanum) is related to Illicium verum which I wouldn't recommend either. Both of these plants, like many herbs and spices contain a high percentage of essential oils, (thus its use in incense, herbals, potpourri, and some culinary uses as well) that can be quite an irritant to any mucous membrane (nose, mouth). Even if it were to be in a cage with a herp that does not eat vegetation many herb and spice oils are in the leaves and other parts and may be an irritant in other ways. I would stick with the tried and true! Here is a site with info - look at the bottom for their note on toxicity.

lelet

Florida Star Anise

>>I recently purchased a veiled chameleon. He's about 2 inches long and I have him in a 20 gallon tall reptarium. I went to the garden stores around here and couldn't find any of the listed safe plants for chameleons. I did however find a Japanese Anise that sounded a lot like the Japanese Aralia that is safe for them.
>>
>>The Japanese Anise has a strong liquorish smell to it. Do you know if it is safe?
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

congrats on your new little one!

sorry about that! here is my reply to someone else asking the same question a couple months ago:

****Star anise (Illicium floridanum) is related to Illicium verum which I wouldn't recommend either. Both of these plants, like many herbs and spices contain a high percentage of essential oils, (thus its use in incense, herbals, potpourri, and some culinary uses as well) that can be quite an irritant to any mucous membrane (nose, mouth). Even if it were to be in a cage with a herp that does not eat vegetation many herb and spice oils are in the leaves and other parts and may be an irritant in other ways. I would stick with the tried and true! Here is a site with info - look at the bottom for their note on toxicity. www.floridata.com/ref/I/illi_flo.cfm****

As for safe plants - what list are you using? There are LOADS of safe plants and Home Depot may be your best bet. You should be able to find ficus, hibiscus, pothos, croton. What state do you live in? if you are in the south you will have better luck this time of year than in the north. If you are unsure always ask here. Since veiled will eat plants (other chams don't) it is very important to be safe.

Keep in mind that you need to repot and wash any plant you buy as they were most likely sprayed. Some are also given growth hormones (polka dot plant is one that it usually treated) to keep them compact for selling purposes.

here are some lists. Look them over and then bookmark the ones you may want to refer back to.

www.calumma.com/safe_plants.htm
groups.msn.com/ChameleonParadise/chameleoncagesetupinfo.msnw

www.akca.org/library/poison.htm
www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm
plantsdatabase.com/
www.naturallyhealthypet.com/toxic.htm

lele
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

np

...be happy for the expert information not how the heck i got it out there!

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

what are ya a tough guy now??

yeah, what are ya gonna do about it???? Watch it - I have "friends" on the island - if you know what I mean...

and here's one of them!

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

ooooo scary...shakin in my sketchers (these are not a brand of snoeshoe)...how much snow did you guys get over the weekend?

We are a very odd bunch on this forum and certainly a very entertaining one...dunno if I like the Cham keeping better or reading the posts everynight.

SHE STARTED IT!!!

>>The Japanese Anise has a strong liquorish smell to it. Do you know if it is safe?

Hi there,

Here is what I found for you:

Scientific name: Illicium anisatum L.
PRONUNCIATION: ill-LISS-i-um an-ni-SATE-um
Common name: Sikimi noki, Sacred anise tree, Japanese anise tree
Family: Illiciaceae (Magnoliaceae)

The fruits of "Illicium anisatum" should not be substituted for star anise in cooking as they are considered to be toxic. Research continues on possible uses of this plant’s essential oils in applications such as insecticides. The powdered bark has long been used in Japan as an incense component and the aromatic leaves adorn tombs and temples.

The most famous is "Illicium verum", the Star Anise from China and Vietnam, the fruits of which are extensively used as a spice ingredient in Asian Cooking.

ARTICLE: Anisatin, a potent GABA antagonist, isolated from Illicium anisatum.

Kudo Y, Oka JI, Yamada K.

The neuropharmacological properties of anisatin were tested on the frog spinal cord and the crude synaptic membrane from rat brain. Anisatin (10(-5) M) reduced the amplitude of dorsal root potentials induced by stimulation of the adjacent dorsal root and presynaptic inhibition of the ventral root reflex. Anisatin shifted the dose-response curve for GABA-induced depolarization in the primary afferent terminal to the right and also reduced the maximum response to GABA. [3H]Muscimol binding to the crude synaptic membrane was not inhibited by anisatin. These results indicate that anisatin is a picrotoxin-like, non-competitive GABA-antagonist.

In conclusion: While star anise fruits are used in many applications - it would be prudent to avoid other anise plants.

Hope this helps,
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n/p

Good choice!!
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