Promising Plants Profiles

Ferula communis

Ferula communis 'Gigantea'

Genus: Ferula
Specific Epithet: communis
Common Name: giant fennel
Family: Apiaceae

Flower Color: yellow
Form: herbaceous perennial
Hardiness Zone: 7
Height: 6-10', but F. communis 'Gigantea' may reach 13'
Soil: well-drained soil
Sun: full sun

Uses: ornamental, medicinal (limited)*
Parts Used: root/rhizome, flower buds

"This imposing herb breaks winter dormancy early in spring, seemingly indifferent to the aftermath of winter cold or late frosts. If it is frost bitten, it will just send up another shoot. Initially it looks like sweet fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) with its tightly wrapped, fennel-like foliage. (The genus name Ferula derives from the Latin for fennel.) However, this plant develops into a larger airy, green feathery mass as tall as it is wide, reaching 3 feet in height and width. The dark mid-green leaves are much more finely divided than fennel and unfurl to about 18 inches in width. There it remains until warmer temperatures trigger an eruption of a great thick flower stem with an attractive purplish tint or cast at its base. The stalk continues to grow to behemoth proportions, reaching anywhere from 6-10 feet or higher! (Due to the amount of pith in the stalk, folklore has it that this was the vessel used by Prometheus to transport fire to us poor mortals after he stole it from the gods.) This stalk then unfolds into highly decorative, rounded, 3 inch wide umbels of tiny bright yellow flowers, forming a veritable floral canopy over the smaller plants of the herb garden. Like fennel, numerous but much larger, fleshy, brownish-grey seeds develop and begin to ripen in late July or August.

Plant giant fennel in full sun and any well-drained garden soil. It is hardy in Zone 7. Native to the Mediterranean area from North Africa to Spain and the Canary Islands, it is found in rough rocky places, often where the soil is damp in the spring. Like fennel, this plant develops a large tap root system and resents transplanting unless when very young. Considered a drought tolerant plant when established, this plant will often go summer dormant if grown in dry conditions only to re-emerge when sufficient rains have returned. As an ornamental, giant fennel provides a bold, fine-textured foliar contrast and a striking flower display for the rear of the border. Propagation is by seed." – Andrew Van Hevelingen, Promising Plants Presentation, 2005

* Ferula communis has been used medicinally in N. Africa, but is considered a vertebrate poison due to its coumarin content.

Seed Source: Chiltern Seeds - England

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