Ferula anatolica Seeds | Anatolian Giant Fennel
LATIN NAME: Ferula anatolica
COMMON NAME: Anatolian Giant Fennel
Plant Profile
Anatolian giant fennel is a stout umbellifer endemic to the limestone hills of central and eastern Anatolia, where it grows among steppe grasses and scattered juniper. It rises to about two metres on a ribbed, slightly hairy stem, carrying three or four huge, finely cut leaves at the base and a broad crown of yellow umbels at the top. The flowering period is short and early, often over by the end of May, after which the stem stiffens and the whole plant dries to a pale bronze that lasts through the summer. Its taproot goes down a metre or more into cracks in the rock, which is how it survives months without rain. The seed is flat, winged and slow to ripen in cool seasons.
Science & Biotechnology
Anatolian Ferula species have been revised several times in the last two decades, and the genus now holds well over a hundred species in Turkey alone, many of them narrow endemics. Ferula anatolica is separated from its neighbours by the shape of the leaf segments, the hairiness of the ovary and the structure of the mericarp’s dorsal ribs. Studies of the genus in Turkey have focused on the essential oils of the roots and fruits, which are dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons and by sulfur compounds in the resinous species, and on the coumarins that give the group its pharmaceutical interest. Conservation assessments place several of these local endemics at risk from habitat conversion, and seed banks in Ankara and Izmir hold material for the ones with the smallest ranges.
Uses & Benefits
The resinous root has been used in Anatolian folk medicine as a digestive and a warming rub, and the young stems are sometimes candied in the same way as those of the better-known giant fennel. The plant is also grazed by goats in spring, though the mature stem is too tough and too aromatic for livestock. In cultivation it is grown as a specimen for dry gardens, where the early umbels and the long-lasting skeleton give two seasons of interest from one plant. It is a useful plant for a pollinator strip in a dry region because it flowers when little else does, and its flat heads are easy landing platforms for small beetles and flies as well as bees.
Growing from Seed
Sow in late summer or autumn, in deep containers, because the taproot must run straight down without obstruction. A mix of coarse grit, sand and sieved garden soil, with a handful of limestone chips, suits it. Sow one centimetre deep and keep the pots outdoors through winter, protected only from mice. Germination is slow and irregular, sometimes waiting for a second spring, so do not throw the pots away. Give the seedlings full sun and very little water in their first summer. Plant out into a raised bed or a rock garden with a thin soil over rubble, and add lime if the ground is acid. The plant flowers once, in its third or fourth year.
Our Take
An Anatolian endemic that asks only for rubble, sun and neglect, and repays the four-year wait with umbels in the first warm week of May.
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