Some similarities to : Giant Fennel, but Giant Fennel is up to 3 metres height, whereas Fennel reaches but 2½ metres. And also to Dill, a perenial herb with yellow flowers similar to those of Fennel and with which it can cross-breed.

Resemblance to : Hog's Fennel, but Hogs Fennel has darker yellow flowers, and the leaves are not thread-like as in Fennel, but repeatedly cloven into thin strands.

Distinguishing Feature : Fennel smells faintly and tastes slightly of aniseed, but certainly not as strongly as does Sweet Cicely but which has white flowers and not yellow flowers. Note how the individual flowers, with their five in-curled petals, look like the female halves of the metal studs used to 'button' up modern waterproof clothing, or like PP9/PP3 battery terminals.

Fennel can be eaten as a vegetable, usually the lower part before it splits into many stems and just above the roots. The vegetable Fennel has layers reminiscent of onion layers, the whole thing resembling an alien heart with several aortas emerging out of the upper-most part; these being the beginnings of the multiple stems.

The thick upper stems of fennel quickly taper at the ends, to end in a thread like leaves which branch off.

Dillapiole is a phenylpropanoid related to Eugenol and to Apiole, and is present in both Dill and in the roots of Fennel. Chemically it is similar to Myristicin found in Nutmeg which has some hallucinogenic and mind-altering properties.

Fennel contains the odorous aniseed-like molecules Anethole and its isomer Estragole, and Anisaldehyde. Anethole has an anise-like smell not dissimilar to liquorice. As well as also smelling of anise, Estragole also has a hint of mint and sweetness about it and is used in perfumes and flavourings, but its further use is being re-appraised; it is suspected of being both carcinogenic and genotoxic; it has been shown that Estragole can give animals tumours.

Both Fenchone and Fenchyl Alcohol are found in Fennel, from which they probably derived their names. Fenchone is an aldehyde, which has a warmish smell of mint and camphor. Fenchol or Fenchyl Alcohol is a minor constituent. Both are very similar to Camphor.

The volatile oil from Fennel seeds contains the mono-terpene Alpha-Pinene which is similar in structure to Verbenol and Myrtenol and contains the same reactive 4-membered ring. It is found in many coniferous trees, including Pine, from whence it derived its name. It has a resinous and pungent pine-like odour and is also found in Rosemary. It exists in two optical-isomeric configurations, the (-) species being more predominant in European Pines; the (+) in North American pines. A racemic mixture of the two forms is present in Eucalyptus oil. The similarly smelling isomer, Beta-Pinene has the double bond moved from the 4-membered ring to the methyl group and does not occur in Fennel, but does in Yarrow.

Octenol, or more specifically 1-octen-3-ol, is also known as 'mushroom alcohol' for it smells of mushrooms, and is indeed present in several mushrooms (including edible mushrooms) as well, surprisingly, in Fennel and in exhaled human breath. Octenol attracts flies and insects, and is used as the attractant (together with CO2 in high-voltage fly traps to kill them. It is also used in some perfumes; little wonder some smell so awful.

Sabinene has a similar chemical skeleton to that of Thujone, but lacks oxygen atoms. Sabinene is a bi-cyclic mono-terpene with a strained cyclopropane ring. It occurs not only in the seeds of Fennel but also those of Carrot and Black Pepper where it contributes to black peppers' spiciness. It is present in the trees Holm Oak and Norway Spruce.

Petroselenic Acid is also found in Garden Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) from which it obtains its name. It is a Fatty Acid positionally isomeric with Oleic Acid where the double bond is on position 6 atom instead of number 9. It is present in Fennel and Coriander seeds and is a characteristic fatty acid constituent of the Umbelliferae (Carrot Family) of plants.

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