Fennel

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a flowering plant species in the carrot family, indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but widely naturalized in many parts of the world. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves, highly flavorful and used in cooking, and is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe. The plant is a perennial herb with a hollow, erect stem that is glaucous green. Its leaves are finely dissected, with threadlike ultimate segments, and are similar to dill leaves but thinner. The flowers are produced in terminal compound umbels, each section containing numerous tiny yellow flowers on short stalks. The fruit is a dry schizocarp, grooved and relatively small. The aromatic character of fennel fruits comes from volatile oils that impart mixed aromas, including trans-anethole and estragole (resembling licorice), fenchone (mint and camphor), limonene, and 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom). Other phytochemicals found in the fruits include polyphenols such as rosmarinic acid and luteolin. Fennel is widely cultivated for its edible, strongly flavored leaves and fruits. A notable cultivar group is Florence fennel, or finocchio, which has inflated leaf bases forming a bulb-like structure used as a vegetable; it is sweeter and more aromatic than the wild type. Another cultivar, bronze-leaved fennel, is grown as a decorative garden plant. Fennel has become naturalized along roadsides, pastures, and open sites in many regions, including northern Europe, the United States, southern Canada, and much of Asia and Australia. It propagates well by root crown and seed and is considered an invasive species in Australia and the U.S., where it can alter plant communities by outcompeting native species for light, nutrients, and water, and may exude allelopathic substances. In western North America, it is found from coastal areas into hill and mountain regions, excluding deserts.