Flora Medica

-35THUSA.no channels visible between them, the dorsal ones the narrowest. Vittaeof the commissure 2, blood red, curved, more distant at the base thanat the apex. The leaves are poisonous, producing nausea, vomiting,headach, giddiness, drowsiness, spasmodic pain, numbness, &c. Theleaves are dark in colour and nauseous in smell, which ought to preventits being mistaken for common parsley.FCENICULUM.Calyx a tumid obsolete rim. Petals roundish, entire, involute,with a squarish blunt lobe. Fruit nearly taper. Halffruitswith 5 prominent bluntly keeled ridges, of which the lateralare on the edge, and rather the broadest. Vittae single inthe channels, 2 on the commissure. Biennials or perennials.Leaves pinnated, decompound, with setaceous segments. Involucrenone. Flowers yellow.88. F. vulgare G&rtn.carp.i. 105. DC. prodr.iv. 142. Neesand Eberm. pi. mod. t. 277. handb. iii. 34. Smith Eng.fl.ii. 85.Meum Freniculum Spreng. prodr. 32. Anethum FreniculumLinn. sp. 377. Common on sandy and chalky groundall overEurope. (Common Fennel.)Root tap-shaped. Herb smooth, of a deep glaucous green. Stem 3 or4 feet high, erect, copiously branched, solid, round, striated, smooth,leafy. Leaves triply pinnate ; leaflets thread-like, acute, long, more orless drooping; footstalks with a broad, firm, sheathing base. Umbels terminal,very broad, flat, of very numerous, smooth, angular, rather stoutrays the ; partial rays much more slender, short, very unequal. Bractsentirely wanting. Calyx none. Petals obovate, with a broad, obtuse,inflexed point, altogether of a golden yellow, as well as the stamens.Styles very short, with a large, ovate pale yellow base. Fruit ovate,not quite 2 lines long, pale bright brown, smooth ; ridges sharp, withbut little space between each, the lateral ones rather the broadest ; terminatedby a permanent conical disk. Oil of wild fennel, is obtainedfrom the fruit.89. F. dulce C. Bauh.pin. 147. DC. prodr. iv. 142. Pereirain med. gaz. xix. 685. Italy, Portugal, &c. (Sweetfennel.)This is extremely like the last; only it is a very much smaller plant, andthe umbels consist, as De Candolle has truly remarked, of only 6-8rays, not of 13-20, as in common fennel. There is also a considerabledifference in the fruit as will appear by comparing the following descriptionwith that given under the last species. Fruit narrow, oblong,3 lines long, pale dull brown, smooth ; ridges sharpish, with a spacebetween each for a convex line indicating the vitts, the lateral onesrather the broadest; not a trace of calyx. Italian writers usuallyconsider it a cultivated variety of common fennel. Oil of sweet fennelis obtained from the fruit; its nature is similar to that from otherapiacea?.41