“Above the lower plants, it towers, The Fennel with its yellow flowers; And in an earlier age than ours, Was gifted with the wondrous powers, Lost vision to restore.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Goblet of Life, 1842
Fennel or Foeniculum vulgare is also called samar, sweet fennel, wild fennel and sheeh. It’s called finéal in Gaeilge and fineal in Scots Gaelic. The name fennel is derived from the Old French word fenoil, from Latin, faeniculum which means ‘hay’ likely due to the plant smelling like hay. I really enjoy fennel and love all aspects of the plant from the smell to the look and the taste. It’s exceptionally hardy and is somewhat of a sure thing in any garden. Because of its prolific nature, it has become a nuisance in some areas where it is not a native plant such as in North America and Australia. Fennel feels highly nutritious to me when I ingest it similarly to nettle and I really feel that it must have been a staple food people could count on in ancient times.
Subscribe to get access – $5 a month
Isla Skye
Isla Skye is an American Celtic scholar, teacher, author and herbalist that splits her time between the States and Ireland. She has studied the druids and related practices for over 20 years. She is a published author of children’s books as well as other folkloric literature and is currently working through an M.A. in Celtic Studies. Her hobbies are family time, camping, hiking, reading, writing and research.
Leave a Reply