anise: native to Egypt but cultivated widely for its aromatic seeds and the oil from them used medicinally and as a flavoring in cookery
herb: a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
metasequoia: large fast-growing Chinese monoecious tree having flat bright-green deciduous leaves and small globular cones; commonly cultivated in United States as an ornamental; known as a fossil before being discovered in China