Anise

Anise (/ˈænɪs/;Pimpinella anisum), also called aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor has similarities with some other spices, such as star anise,fennel, and licorice.

Biology

Anise is an herbaceous annual plant growing to 3 ft (0.9 m) or more tall. The leaves at the base of the plant are simple, ³⁄₈–2 in (1–5 cm) long and shallowly lobed, while leaves higher on the stems are feathery pinnate, divided into numerous small leaflets. The flowers are white, approximately ¹⁄₈ inch (3 mm) in diameter, produced in dense umbels. The fruit is an oblong dry schizocarp, ¹⁄₈–¹⁄₄ in (3–6 mm) long, usually called "aniseed".

Anise is a food plant for the larvae of some Lepidoptera species (butterflies and moths), including the lime-speck pug and wormwood pug.

Cultivation

Anise was first cultivated in Egypt and the Middle East, but was brought to Europe for its medicinal value.

Anise plants grow best in light, fertile, well-drained soil. The seeds should be planted as soon as the ground warms up in spring. Because the plants have a taproot, they do not transplant well after being established, so they should be started either in their final location or transplanted while the seedlings are still small.

Tok'ra

The Tok'ra are a fictional alien race on the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. They first appear in the season 2 episode "In the Line of Duty". In the show, the Tok'ra are biologically the same species as the Goa'uld who inhabit human hosts in a symbiotic relationship, and are opposed to the evil System Lords. They are one of the major offworld allies of Stargate Command.

Background

Biologically, the Tok'ra are the same species as the Goa'uld, though they are opposed to them in every way; their name "Tok'ra" literally means "against Ra," though it has gained the figurative meaning "resistance". The Tok'ra consider it an insult to be called a Goa'uld. They take only willing human hosts, providing long life and perfect health, and share the body equally. Most Tok'ra are spawned from a single Queen, Egeria, who fought the Goa'uld 2,000 years ago and was defeated by the Supreme System Lord Ra. A few other minor Goa'uld have joined the Tok'ra in the past, but the only one to do so in the past 1000 years was actually a Goa'uld spy and did not actually adopt the Tok'ra philosophy. Due to Egeria's death in "Cure", the Tok'ra are a dying race. Due to their small numbers and scarce resources, the Tok'ra favor infiltration and covert tactics meant to destabilize the System Lords and play them against one another, ensuring that no one Goa'uld becomes overwhelmingly dominant until such time as they can all be wiped out at once.