420 History of Garden Vegetables. 
HISTORY OF GARDEN VEGETABLES. 
BY LOUIS STURTEVANT, M.D. 
(Continued from page 985, Vol. XXI.) 
Fennel. Feniculum vulgare Gertn. 
p NEL was used by the ancient Romans, as well for its aro- 
matic fruits as for its edible succulent shoots. It was also em- 
ployed in Northern Europe at a remote period, as it is constantly 
mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon medical receipts which date as early 
at least as the eleventh century. The diffusion of the plant in 
Central Europe was stimulated by Charlemagne, who enjoined its 
cultivation on the imperial farms. Fennel shoots, fennel water, and 
fennel seed, are all mentioned in an ancient record of Spanish agri- 
culture of 961 A.D.! There are three different forms recognized, 
all believed to belong to a common species, Fæniculum vulgare 
Gertn., but which have received specific names by various botanists. 
Bitter Fennel. F. vulgare Geertn. . 
In 1863, Burr describes? a common and a dark-leaved form; in 
1586, Lyte’s* Dodcens describes in like manner two varieties. This 
is the common wild sort, hardy, and often spontaneous as an escape 
from gardens. It is the Anethum feniculum L., 1763, and the 
Feeniculum of Camerarius,‘ 1586. Sometimes, but rarely, the leaves 
are used for seasoning, and the plant is chiefly grown for its seeds 
which are largely used in the flavoring of liqueurs. 
The common or bitter fennel is called in France Fenowil amer., 
Fenouil commun. It appears to be the common fennel or finckle of 
Ray, 1886, the fænell and fyncle of Turner, 1538. 
Sweet Fennel. F. officinale All. 
This form is cultivated more frequently as a garden plant than 
the preceding, and its seeds are also an object of commerce. AS the 
plants grow old, the fruits of each succeeding season gradually 
1 Pharmacographia, 1879, 308, 
2 Burr. Field and Gard. Veg. of Am., 1863, 420. 
3 Lyte’s Dodcens, 1586, 305, 
4 Camerarius Epit., 1586, 534, 
