
It is a hardy, perennial,umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is generally considered indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean, but has become widely naturalised elsewhere and may now be found growing wild in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on river-banks. Dried fennel seed is an aromatic, anise-flavoured spice, brown or green in colour when fresh, slowly turning a dull grey as the seed ages.