Fennel is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including in its native range the mouse moth and the Old-World swallowtail. Where it has been introduced in North America it may be used by the anise swallowtail. The word "fennel" developed from the Middle English "fenel" or "fenyl". This came from the Old English "fenol" or "finol", which in turn came from the Latin "feniculum" or "foeniculum", the diminutive of "fenum" or "faenum", meaning "hay". The Latin word for the plant was "ferula", which is now used as the genus name of a related plant. The
HMCS Fennel In December 1944, "Fennel" transferred to MOEF escort group C-1. She remained with that group for the rest of the war. On 12 June 1945, "Fennel" was paid off and returned to the Royal Navy. After lay up, "Fennel" was sold for mercantile conversion in 1946. In 1948 she was registered under a Norwegian flag as "Milliam Kihl". She was rebuilt as buoy-boat in October 1948. She was refitted as whaler in 1951 in Kiel, West Germany. Laid up in 1960/1961, her last drifting season was in 1964/1965. She was laid up again in Sandefjord and sold to Norwegian shipbreakers