Fennel Fennel Fennel ("Foeniculum vulgare") is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on riverbanks. It is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb used in cookery and, along with the similar-tasting anise, is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe. Florence fennel or finocchio is a selection with a swollen, bulb-like stem base that is used as a vegetable. Fennel
Fennel ("Ferula communis") is a large, coarse plant, with a pungent aroma, which grows wild in the Mediterranean region and is only occasionally grown in gardens elsewhere. Other species of the genus "Ferula" are also commonly called giant fennel, but they are not culinary herbs. In North America, fennel may be found growing in the same habitat and alongside natives osha ("Ligusticum porteri") and "Lomatium" species, useful medicinal relatives in the parsley family. Most "Lomatium" species have yellow flowers like fennel, but some are white flowered and resemble poison hemlock. "Lomatium" is an important historical food plant of Native Americans known