FENNEL (Fceniculum wdgdre, Gsert.). Flowers yellow in 

 compound umbels, leaves decompound and finely dissected 

 into thread-like segments. Stout, smooth herbs, 3 to 6 feet 

 high, with a fragrance when crushed of licorice. Common 

 along roadsides, in waste places and near cultivated grounds, 

 blooming in spring and summer. 



Fennel is an Old World plant and perhaps owes its presence 

 on the Pacific Coast to the Franciscan Missionaries; for the 

 seeds have been used from time immemorial in domestic medi- 

 cine as a carminative, and would naturally have formed a part 

 of the Padres' importations. Spanish-Californians call the 

 plant Anis Hinojo (ah-nees' ee-no'-ho), w r hich means "anise 

 fennel," and may have given rise to the name by which Amer- 

 icans on the Coast frequently call the plant Sweet Anise. 

 In some parts of California the children, who enjoy the pleas- 

 ant taste of the leaves and stalks, long ago dubbed it Ladies' 

 Chewing Tobacco. 



Famous in the folk-lore of the Old World, fennel links us 

 with the classic past, when victors in the public games were 

 crowned with it, and gladiators had it mixed with their food to 

 make them strong. 



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