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Fennel, another umbellifer

Fennel, another umbellifer

by Chris, 22 January, 2016, 0 comments

There are a number of plants that have ‘fennel’ in their name.   For example, : Dog Fennel : Eupatorium capillifolium Giant Fennel : Ferula communis Fennel, Sweet Fennel : Foeniculum vulgare Florence Fennel : Foeniculum vulgare azoricum Hog's Fennel : Peucedanum officinale Wild Fennel : Nigella arvensis Bronze Fennel : Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpureum' However, it is the various forms of Foeniculum :-  Fennel, Sweet Fennel or Florence Fennel that are ‘best known’ through their use in cooking and / or the making of absinthe.  Such fennel plants are often garden escapes, but Foeniculum vulgare has naturalised, being particularly associated with disturbed ground. and the banks of streams and rivers.  Read more...
Wild Parsnip

Wild Parsnip

by The blog at woodlands.co.uk, 27 August, 2014, 5 comments

Wild parsnip is the progenitor of the cultivated parsnip; it is a plant of rough, dry grassland and ‘waste’ ground by roads and railways (favouring chalky / limestone areas); it can occur in public parks. The root is edible but the shoots and leaves should be handled with caution as their sap contains photo-sensitive chemicals (FURANOCOUMARINS) such as Xanthotoxin. These chemicals help protect the plant from its enemy the parsnip webworm. However, these chemicals can cause a skin reaction – phytophotodermatitis (more likely on bright, sunny days). This reaction is not dissimilar to a chemical burn – reddening, blisters and burning; affected areas may remain visible for some time. Read more...

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