Foeniculum vulgare Fennel

A tall, perennial umbellifer with a strong tap root and shoots with leaves much divided into filamentous segements and with a wide, somewhat swollen sheathing base. Umbels of yellow flowers are produced in summer. It is common in many parts of southern Britain but tends to be largely coastal in the north and west, such as in Wales. It is a species of roadside verges and disturbed habitats, often found in small numbers or as individual plants. In West Glamorgan it is found mostly in roadside verges and waste places in coastal areas. It originated from the Mediterranean where it is represented as Foeniculum vulgare subspecies piperitum, but British plants are usually considered to be subspecies vulgare, which was derived from it. It is mostly an escape from cultivation which, when established, will persist for many years and are usually quite drought tolerant. The characteristic, aromatic oroma of anise produced by Fennel comes from the rich assemblage of volatile oils that it produces in the shoots such as trans-anethole, estragol and fenchone. The shoots also contain flavonoids and have a high phenolic content. Fennel is well a known herb used in cooking and as a salad.

Neophyte