Fennel grooved. Fennel is widely cultivated, both in its native range and elsewhere, for its edible, strongly flavored leaves and fruits. Its aniseed flavor comes from anethole, an aromatic compound also found in anise and star anise, and its taste and aroma are similar to theirs, though usually not as strong. Florence fennel ("Foeniculum vulgare" Azoricum Group; syn. "F. vulgare" var. "azoricum") is a cultivar group with inflated leaf bases which form a bulb-like structure. It is of cultivated origin, and has a mild anise-like flavor, but is sweeter and more aromatic. Florence fennel plants are smaller than the wild type.
HMCS Fennel She remained with this group until December 1944. On 6 March 1944, after unsuccessful attempts at towing the boat to port "U-744" was sunk in the North Atlantic, in position 52°01′N, 22°37′W, after being torpedoed by the British destroyer HMS "Icarus". "U-744" was attacked for over 30 hours by depth charges from the "Fennel", along with HMS "Icarus", the frigate HMCS "St. Catharines", corvettes HMCS "Chilliwack" and HMS "Kenilworth Castle", destroyers HMCS "Chaudiere" and HMCS "Gatineau". Not all these ships fought at the same time, as "Gatineau" and "Kenilworth Castle" both had to leave with mechanical defects during the battle.