Plant · P-605

Fennel

Foeniculum vulgare

Fennel is a feathery, anise-flavored herb with nearly every part edible - leaf, stalk, seed and the swollen root, which cooks up like parsnip. Its seed doubles as a traditional digestive remedy, and its essential oil goes into perfumes, soap and toothpaste. It tolerates poor soil and drought once established, but it stunts nearby beans, tomatoes and kohlrabi and crosses with dill if the two are allowed to seed near each other, so it needs its own space. Left alone it self-sows readily enough to take over open ground, so cutting the flower heads before they set seed is what keeps a stand in bounds.