Editing Fennel (section)

== Cultivation ==
[[File:Fenouil 01.JPG|thumb|Fennel for sale in a French market]]

Fennel is widely cultivated, both in its native range and elsewhere, for its edible, strongly flavored leaves and fruits. Its [[anise]]ed or [[liquorice]] flavor<ref name="Nyerges">{{cite book |last1=Nyerges |first1=Christopher |title=Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America: More than 150 Delicious Recipes Using Nature's Edibles |date=2016 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-1499-6 |page=77 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RwDHCgAAQBAJ}}</ref> comes from [[anethole]], an aromatic compound also found in anise and [[star anise]], and its taste and aroma are similar to theirs, though usually not as strong.<ref name="katzer">Katzer's Spice Pages: [http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Foen_vul.html Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'' Mill.)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515131800/http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Foen_vul.html |date=15 May 2020 }}</ref>

'''Florence fennel''' (''Foeniculum vulgare'' Azoricum Group; [[synonym (taxonomy)|syn.]] ''F. vulgare'' var. ''azoricum'') is a [[cultivar group]] with inflated leaf bases which form a [[bulb]]-like structure. It is of cultivated origin,<ref name="grin">{{GRIN | access-date = 2017-12-10}}</ref> and has a mild anise-like flavor but is sweeter and more aromatic. Florence fennel plants are smaller than the wild type.<ref>{{cite web  | title=Green Fennel Seeds  | url=http://regencyspices.hk/green-fennel-seeds  | website=Regencyspices.hk  | access-date=2014-06-24  | archive-date=14 July 2014  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714124111/http://regencyspices.hk/green-fennel-seeds  | url-status=dead  }}</ref> Several [[cultivar]]s of Florence fennel are also known by several other names, notably the [[Italian language|Italian]] name ''finocchio''. In North American supermarkets, it is often mislabeled as "anise."<ref>{{cite book |last=Rombauer |first=Irma |title=Joy of Cooking |year=1997 |publisher=Simon & Schuster Inc. |location=New York |isbn=978-0-684-81870-2 |page=375}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Ziedrich |first=Linda |title=The Joy of Pickling }}</ref>

''Foeniculum vulgare'' 'Purpureum' or 'Nigra', "bronze-leaved" fennel, is widely available as a decorative garden plant.<ref>''RHS Plant Finder 2008–2009'', Dorling Kindersley, 2008, p280</ref>

Fennel has become [[naturalisation (biology)|naturalized]] along roadsides, in pastures, and in other open sites in many regions, including northern Europe, the United States, southern [[Canada]], and much of Asia and [[Australia]]. It propagates well by both root crown and seed and is considered an [[invasive species]] and a [[weed]] in Australia<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2913766|title=Species: ''Foeniculum vulgare'' (Aniseed)|website=Bie.ala.org.au|access-date=1 March 2022|archive-date=1 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301172938/https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2913766|url-status=live}}</ref> and the United States. It can drastically alter the composition and structure of many plant communities, including grasslands, coastal scrub, [[Riparian zone|riparian]], and wetland communities. It appears to do this by outcompeting native species for light, nutrients, and water and perhaps by exuding [[Allelopathy|allelopathic]] substances that inhibit the growth of other plants.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2017-10-16 |title=IPCW Plant Report |url=https://www.cal-ipc.org/resources/library/publications/ipcw/report51/ |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=California Invasive Plant Council |language=en-US |archive-date=10 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510183302/https://www.cal-ipc.org/resources/library/publications/ipcw/report51/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In western North America, fennel can be found from the coastal and inland [[wildland-urban interface]] east into hill and mountain areas, excluding desert habitats.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Foeniculum%20vulgare.png|title=Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map|website=Bonap.net|access-date=1 March 2022|archive-date=16 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616130915/http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Foeniculum%20vulgare.png|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=3603|title=Foeniculum vulgare Calflora|website=Calflora.org|access-date=1 March 2022|archive-date=1 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301172929/https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=3603|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[Santa Cruz Island]], California for example, fennel has achieved 50 to 90% absolute cover.<ref name=":1" />

=== Production ===
As grouped by the [[United Nations]] [[Food and Agriculture Organization]], production data for fennel are combined with similar spices &ndash; anise, star anise, and [[coriander]].<ref name="faostat14" /> In 2014, [[India]] produced 60% of the world output of fennel, with [[China]] and [[Bulgaria]] as leading secondary producers.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Production of fennel – 2014
|-
! scope="col" | Country
! scope="col" | Production<br /><small>([[tonne]]s)</small>
|-
| {{IND}} || 584,000
|-
| {{CHN}} || 48,002
|-
| {{BUL}} || 36,500
|-
| {{IRN}} || 32,771
|-
| {{MEX}} || 29,251
|-
| {{SYR}} || 27,668
|-
| '''World''' || '''970,404'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="max-width: 18em;" | <small>Data combined with related spices &ndash; anise, star anise & coriander. Source: [[FAOSTAT]] of the [[United Nations]]<ref name="faostat14">{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC|title=Production in 2014, Crops/Regions/World list/Production Quantity (pick lists)|date=2017|publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT)|access-date=10 November 2017|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603171715/http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC|url-status=live}}</ref></small>
|}