Florence Fennel seed Foeniculum vulgare

LATIN NAME: Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum

COMMON NAME: Florence Fennel

The Florence fennel plumps the white, fleshy bulbs at the base of the feathery stems, the fine, green leaves above them, and the whole plant stands in the neat, crisp look of the kitchen garden row. The fast-growing, annual or biennial herb carries the finely divided, feathery, bright-green leaves along the erect, hollow stems, and the overlapping, fleshy, white-green leaf bases form the swollen, rounded, bulb-like stem base, with the small, yellow flowers in the flat-topped umbels, on the tall stems, through the mid summer of the second year, one of the neat, crisp sights of the kitchen garden row, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, ridged, grey-brown seeds. The ridged seeds have a very long record as the fine, bulb fennels of the old gardens, and the plant is a historic presence of the kitchen garden row. It is a plant of the open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The Florence fennel is a historic subject of the plant science, and the swollen bulbs keep showing up in the work on the bulb fennels. The way the overlapping, fleshy, white-green leaf bases form the swollen, rounded, bulb-like stem base has been studied steadily, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the bulb fennels, the feathery leaves and the members of the carrot family. The ridged seeds and the crisp habit have also made it a fine study herb, and the Florence fennel is a regular subject of the work on the swollen bulbs of the temperate world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The Florence fennel is a neat, useful plant of the kitchen garden row and the study collection. The finely divided, feathery, bright-green leaves along the erect, hollow stems carry the neat look of the kitchen garden row, one of the neat, crisp sights of the kitchen garden row, drawing the bees, and the ridged seeds have a very long record as the fine, bulb fennels of the old gardens, the crisp, anise-flavoured bulbs coming to the salads, the braises, the grills and the steady practice of the old kitchens, while the small, yellow flowers in the flat-topped umbels, on the tall stems, open through the mid summer of the second year, to be followed by the small, ridged, grey-brown seeds. It is one of the fine choices for the kitchen garden row, the bulb bed and the study collection, and it has been written up in the culinary and the horticultural papers for the swollen bulbs and the very long history. It is a neat, useful plant of the open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained garden.

The Florence seeds grow readily in a fine, loamy soil kept warm and moist. The young plants are crisp and quick, and they enjoy the deep, rich ground of the open bed.

To grow the Florence fennel from seed, sow the small, ridged seeds directly into the deep pot of fine, loamy soil, then cover them lightly, keep the pot in a bright, warm spot and water gently. The seedlings thread up within a couple of weeks, and they grow on steadily. With the sun and the deep, rich, moist ground, the white bulbs will plump over the warm months.

(Finocchio) Unlike sweet fennel, this produces a bulbous base of delicate anise flavour and crisp texture. Superb sliced raw in green salads, sauteed, or quartered in chicken casseroles. Does best in cool weather: sow direct in July to mature by fall or start early indoors and plant out in spring.