fennel, (Foeniculum vulgare), perennial herb of the carrot family (Apiaceae) grown for its edible shoots, leaves, and seeds. Native to southern Europe and Anatolia, fennel is cultivated in temperate regions worldwide and is considered an invasive species in Australia and parts of the United States.

All parts of the plant are aromatic and used in flavoring, and the bulblike stem base of Florence fennel (variety azoricum) and the blanched shoots are eaten as a vegetable. The seeds and extracted oil are suggestive of anise in aroma and taste and are used for scenting soaps and perfumes and for flavoring candies, liqueurs, medicines, and foods, particularly pastries, sweet pickles, and fish. It is one of the five dried spices—including cassia, cloves, star anise, and Sichuan pepper—that make up the famed Chinese five-spice powder.

Physical description

The cultivated plant is about 1 meter (3 feet) tall and has stalks with finely divided leaves composed of many linear or awl-shaped segments. The grayish compound umbels bear small yellow flowers. The small dry fruits are greenish brown to yellowish brown oblong ovals about 6 mm (0.25 inch) long with five prominent longitudinal dorsal ridges. The seeds contain 3 to 4 percent essential oil; the principal components are anethole and fenchone.

Britannica Quiz

Fruit or Vegetable? A Quiz

Other species

Giant fennel (Ferula communis), a member of the same family, is native to the Mediterranean region. Its stems grow to about 3 meters (10 feet) high and are used for tinder. Hog’s fennel, or sulfurweed (Peucedanum officinale), is another member of the Apiaceae family and is used in traditional medicine in parts of Europe. Fennel flower, or black cumin (Nigella sativa), is an unrelated plant of the family Ranunculaceae; its seeds are used as a spice.