Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

Edibility:Edible Good

Eating notes: Fennel herb, collect the fine feather leaving during the spring while they young and tender.
Fennel spice is the ground dried seeds of the Fennel plant. These can be collected in the autumn.

Fennel is a familiar herb (and spice). The plants grow wild on waste-ground, particularly near the sea and in the south of England.

Height: 150 - 250cm

Leaves: Very finely divided and narrow. Fern-like.

Flowers: Umbels of tiny yellow flowers

Stems: Tall upright and slightly branching. Robust, hairless and with light grooving or striations.

Other: A clear distinguishing feature of Fennel is the strong aniseed scent.

Look-a-likes: If you find a tall plant with fine feathery leaves and a strong smell of aniseed, its Fennel - nothing else like it.