Editing Fennel (section)

=== Similar species ===
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Some plants in the [[Apiaceae]] family are poisonous and often difficult to identify.

[[Dill]], [[coriander]], [[ajwain]], and [[caraway]] are similar-looking herbs but shorter-growing than fennel, reaching only {{convert|40|-|60|cm|in|abbr=on}}. Dill has thread-like, feathery leaves and yellow flowers; coriander and caraway have white flowers and finely divided leaves (though not as fine as dill or fennel) and are also shorter-lived (being annual or biennial plants). The superficial similarity in appearance between these seeds may have led to a sharing of names and etymology, as in the case of meridian fennel, a term for caraway.

[[Ferula communis|Giant fennel]] (''Ferula communis'') is a large, coarse plant with a pungent aroma, which grows wild in the Mediterranean region and is only occasionally grown in gardens elsewhere. Other species of the genus ''Ferula'' are also called giant fennel, but they are not culinary herbs.

In North America, fennel may be found growing in the same habitat and alongside natives osha (''[[Ligusticum porteri]]'') and ''[[Lomatium]]'' species, useful medicinal relatives in the [[parsley]] family.

Most ''Lomatium'' species have yellow flowers like fennel, but some{{which|reason=which species can be confused with hemlock?|date=May 2014}} are white-flowered and resemble poison hemlock. ''Lomatium'' is an important historical food plant of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] known as 'biscuit root'.  Most ''Lomatium'' spp. have finely divided, hairlike leaves; their roots have a delicate rice-like odor, unlike the musty odor of hemlock. ''Lomatium'' species prefer dry, rocky soils devoid of organic material.