Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel)

Native from the Mediterranean region to Ethiopia and western Nepal, this plant is an aromatic perennial herb cultivated and naturalized in Colombia. It grows about six feet tall, with finely divided, feathery leaves and branching clusters of small yellow flowers. The leaves, flowers and fruits commonly sold as seeds have a sweet, anise-like flavor and are used in salads, teas and cooking. Florence fennel is a cultivated form selected for overlapping, swollen leaf-stalk bases, which are eaten raw or cooked. Herb fennel is grown chiefly for its foliage and seeds, and readily produces new plants by self-seeding. Wild fennel is invasive in California. Photographed in Bogotá, Colombia.