Fennel
| Fennel Foeniculum vulgare |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Fennel in flower | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) |
| Genus: | Foeniculum |
| Species: | F. vulgare |
| Binomial name | |
|
Foeniculum vulgare Mill. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Synonymy
|
|
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1,443 kJ (345 kcal) |
|
52 g
|
|
| Dietary fiber | 40 g |
|
14.9 g
|
|
| Saturated | 0.5 g |
| Monounsaturated | 9.9 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 1.7 g |
|
15.8 g
|
|
| Vitamins | |
| Thiamine (B1) |
(36%)
0.41 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
(29%)
0.35 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
(41%)
6.1 mg |
| Vitamin B6 |
(36%)
0.47 mg |
| Vitamin C |
(25%)
21 mg |
| Minerals | |
| Calcium |
(120%)
1196 mg |
| Iron |
(142%)
18.5 mg |
| Magnesium |
(108%)
385 mg |
| Manganese |
(310%)
6.5 mg |
| Phosphorus |
(70%)
487 mg |
| Potassium |
(36%)
1694 mg |
| Sodium |
(6%)
88 mg |
| Zinc |
(42%)
4 mg |
|
|
|
|
|
| Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. | |
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on riverbanks.
It is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb with culinary and medicinal uses and, along with the similar-tasting anise, is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe. Florence fennel or finocchio is a selection with a swollen, bulb-like stem base that is used as a vegetable.
Fennel is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including in its native range the mouse moth and the Old-World swallowtail. Where it has been introduced in north America it may be used by the anise swallowtail.
The word "fennel" developed from the Middle English fenel or fenyl. This came from the Old English fenol or finol, which in turn came from the Latin feniculum or foeniculum, the diminutive of fenum or faenum, meaning "hay". The Latin word for the plant was ferula, which is now used as the genus name of a related plant.
The Greek name for fennel is marathon (μάραθον) or marathos (μάραθος), and the place of the famous battle of Marathon (whence marathon, the subsequent sports event), literally means a plain with fennels. The word is first attested in Mycenaean Linear B form as ma-ra-tu-wo.
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Wikipedia