Foeniculum vulgare

Robust, perennial, glabrous, glaucous, aromatic herb, up to 2 m tall. Stem erect, terete, longitudinally striate, profusely branched at all heights, internodes hollow when older. Leaves alternate, decompound, sheathed, lower leaves largest, leaf sheath forming an open cylinder, at base embracing the stem, 2-15 cm long, margins white scarious, sheath much larger and fleshier in Florence fennel, rest of petiole subterete, 0-10 cm longer than the sheathing part, longitudinally striate, blade triangular in outline, up to 30 cm x 50 cm, 2-6-pinnately divided into filiform, acute, blue-green lobes 1-14 cm long, primary pinnae odd-numbered 3-19. Inflorescence a terminal, compound umbel, up to 20 cm in diameter but usually smaller, peduncle (1-)5-16(-24) cm long, primary rays 5-30(-70) per umbel, 0.5-12 cm long, unequal in length, the shortest ones in the centre, secondary rays (pedicels) (2-)10-30(-45) per umbellet, up to 1 cm long, unequal in length, involucre and involucels absent, calyx vestigial at the top of the ovary, petals 5, distinct, subovate in outline, up to 1.5 mm x 1 mm, with strongly inflexed, notched apex, yellow, with a thin membranous outgrowth on the ventral side of the midrib, stamens 5, about 1.5 mm long, pistil with inferior, bilocular ovary, 2 styles, each with a stylopodium at base and a stigma at top. Fruit an ovoid-cylindrical, usually slightly curved schizocarp, 3-8.5 mm x 2-2.5 mm, light green to yellow-brown, splitting at maturity into 2 mericarps each with 5 prominent ridges and oil-vittae between the ridges. Seed with testa adnate to the pericarp. Seedling with epigeal germination (Purwaningsih and Brink, 1999).