How do you recognise Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)?

Habit

Liliane Roubaudi, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Fennel

Foeniculum vulgare Mill.

Also known as: Common fennel

Family: Apiaceae

1 to 2 m tall

Grown in the vegetable garden, also naturalised on banks and trackside verges in Mediterranean climates

Flowering: July – September

Full sun

Fairly hardy, withstands about -10°C, the bulb dislikes frost

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

The aniseed smell of fennel comes from anethole, the same aromatic compound found in anise and star anise — three unrelated plants that nonetheless produce the same fragrance. Two herbs with very finely thread-cut foliage. Fennel has a swollen base and a pronounced aniseed smell; dill stays slender from top to bottom with a smell closer to lemony parsley.

🍃 Leaves

Finely cut, thread-like, blue-green, giving off an aniseed smell when crushed

🌸 Flowers

Small, yellow, grouped in large compound umbels

🍎 Fruits

Elongated, ribbed achene, highly aromatic (fennel seed used in cooking)

🪵 Bark

Erect, ribbed, glaucous herbaceous stem

🗺️ Distribution

Native to the Mediterranean basin; grown and naturalised throughout France, especially in the south

🐝 Value for pollinators

Large, very nectar-rich umbels, among the most visited by bees and hoverflies in summer

✂️ Horticultural uses

Vegetable crop (Florence fennel bulb) and aromatic herb, decorative foliage

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity — bulb, leaves and seeds edible

⚠️ Look-alike species

Fennel

Foeniculum vulgare

Dill

Anethum graveolens

Two herbs with very finely thread-cut foliage. Fennel has a swollen base and a pronounced aniseed smell; dill stays slender from top to bottom with a smell closer to lemony parsley.

🌿 Other Apiaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.