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Fennel or….PLANT ID Help

SilviSherrSilviSherr Posts: 63
in Plants

Google tells me it’s Fennel or Golden Alexander but which one is it?
It’s growing wild in my Daughters garden in full sunshine

Loam wasn’t build in a day 🌻

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    We really need a photo of the leaves  ... the leaves of fennel and Alexanders are quite different ... but fennel smells of fennel (a bit aniseedy) whereas Alexanders is a bit celery-like.



    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Agree - need more info.  :)
    Fennel is very distinctive in the smell as said, but I'm not sure that's Fennel - the seed heads look a bit too big. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • SilviSherrSilviSherr Posts: 63
    @Dovefromabove it didn’t really have leaves. Was just a loooong green stalk
    Loam wasn’t build in a day 🌻
  • SilviSherrSilviSherr Posts: 63
    edited September 2021
    @Fairygirl thank you I will try and get more pictures
    Loam wasn’t build in a day 🌻
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Fennel has quite distinctive feathery foliage, but it does have long stems too,  so if it doesn't have that foliage, it might well be the other plant. 
    Dill is also quite similar, but I don't grow it. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Earlier in the season herb fennel leaves look like this 
    This is bronze fennel … the ordinary sort is greener. 

    However at the moment, after this odd season, the leaves on mine look like this 

    all grey and shrivelled 😢 

    These are some seeds on mine today … most have been shed or eaten by birds 




    The stem is round and looks like this 

     

    Fennel is a biennial so it will have just been present as ferny leaves last year … the tall flower stalks grow in the second year. 


    Here is some info about Alexanders https://www.wildfooduk.com/edible-wild-plants/alexanders/. 

    You can see that the leaves are very different. 

    Of course there are other plants that have similar seedheads. Parsnip seeds can look a bit like that, as can lovage and other veg and herbs, so more photos would help us. 





    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • SilviSherrSilviSherr Posts: 63
    @Fairygirl thank you. see your last photo off the stem, that’s what it looks like. Also there were some “feathery” bits around. But all were still green.
    Loam wasn’t build in a day 🌻
  • SilviSherrSilviSherr Posts: 63
    It’s definitely Fennel :)
    seeds have been harvested and hopefully I get to grow it in my garden. 
    Thanks everyone for the help
    Loam wasn’t build in a day 🌻
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