Foeniculum vulgare
Fennel, Fennel
Family: Apiaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native
Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes
Fennel is a naturalized perennial herb found in California Floristic Province and Western and Interior Ranges on roadsides and disturbed sites at elevations below 1,600 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces distinctive yellow flowers in large compound umbels with spreading rays. Growing to 0.9 to 2 meters tall with an erect, branched stem, it has a characteristic anise or licorice scent that distinguishes it from other herbs. Its finely divided leaves are triangular-ovate, extending up to 4 decimeters wide, with delicate thread-like segments 4 to 40 millimeters long. The fruit is an oblong-ovate structure 3.5 to 4 millimeters long with prominent, acute ribs and a single oil tube between each rib.
Habitat: Roadsides, disturbed sites
Bloom period: May-Sep
Elevation: < 1600 m
Bioregions: CA-FP, W&I
California counties: Santa Barbara, San Diego, Riverside, Los Angeles, Fresno, Orange, Ventura, Marin, Kern, Lake, Inyo, San Bernardino, Santa Clara, Monterey, Solano, San Luis Obispo, Amador, Santa Cruz, Calaveras, El Dorado, Sutter, San Mateo, Alameda, Sacramento, Yolo, Mendocino, Kings, Butte, Glenn, Contra Costa, Shasta, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Napa, Humboldt, San Francisco, Sonoma, Del Norte, Mariposa, Mono
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.