• 1 Department of Mathematics and Computing Science [Halifax]
• 2 Department of Mathematics [Cambridge]

We give a compact expression for the number of factorizations of any permutation into a minimal number of transpositions of the form $(1 i)$. Our result generalizes earlier work of Pak ($\textit{Reduced decompositions of permutations in terms of star transpositions, generalized catalan numbers and k-ary trees}$, Discrete Math. $\textbf{204}$:329―335, 1999) in which substantial restrictions were placed on the permutation being factored.