''Ferula communis'', the giant fennel, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the carrot family

Apiaceae Apiaceae () or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium,'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot, or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering p ...

. It is related to the common fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare''), which belongs to the same family. ''Ferula communis'' is a tall

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial plant In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...

. It is found in Mediterranean and East African woodlands and shrublands. It was known in antiquity as ''laser'' or ''narthex''.

Human use

Its young stems and inflorescences were eaten in

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

, and are still eaten in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

today. However, culinary uses of this species are not always safe and poisoning may occur. In

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

two different chemotypes of ''Ferula communis'' have been identified: poisonous (especially to animals like

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

goats The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the famil ...

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

, and

horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 milli ...

) and non-poisonous. They differ in both secondary metabolites patterning and enzymatic composition. The resin of the subspecies ''F. communis'' subsp. ''brevifolia'' is called gum ammoniac of Morocco. The phenolic compound ferulic acid is named for the giant fennel, from which it can be isolated.

Resin extraction

Since antiquity, the resin of ''Ferula'' species has been used for medicinal purposes. The resin, in the form of a sticky latex, was usually extracted from the lower stalk or root, with the root resin being the finest-grade. s.v. ''Ferula communis'' Where the resin of giant fennel (''Ferula communis'') was farmed, a small hole was pierced in its root with a sharp instrument, after clearing away all rocks and earth that cling to the exposed root. A small trench was dug beneath the root and overlayed with several smooth and flat stones at the bottom for collecting the exuded resin. The piercing was made deep enough into the root or lower stalk to ensure a steady flow of resin on its own pressure. The resin was usually harvested in the dry and hot summer months, when dampness and moisture could not corrupt the resin. The resin hardens when exposed to the air, upon which it changes color to a brownish-red. The resin that exudes in coagulated, drop-like form is considered superior to that which runs down loosely.

As a tool for punishment

In the past, rods and whips for disciplinary purposes were made from stalks of Ferula. A Swedish disciplinary tool used in schools in the past, ''färla'', derives its name from this.

In mythology

In Ancient Greek mythology,

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titans, Titan. He is best known for defying the Olympian gods by taking theft of fire, fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technol ...

gave mortals fire by hiding it in the plant's hollow stalk. Additionally, during the Classical period, a staff fashioned from ''Ferula communis'' called a

Thyrsus In Ancient Greece a ''thyrsus'' () or ''thyrsos'' (; ) was a wand or staff of giant fennel ('' Ferula communis'') covered with ivy vines and leaves, sometimes wound with '' taeniae'' and topped with a pine cone, artichoke, fennel, or by a ...

(/ˈθɜːrsəs/) or thyrsos (/ˈθɜːrsɒs/; Ancient Greek: θύρσος) was carried by the devotees of

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...

and used in Hellenic festivals and religious ceremonies.

Subspecies

''Ferula communis'' has 5 subspecies: * ''Ferula communis'' subsp. ''brevifolia'' – Canary Islands and northwestern Africa * ''Ferula communis'' subsp. ''cardonae'' – Balearic Islands and Sicily * ''Ferula communis'' subsp. ''catalaunica'' – northeastern and eastern Spain * ''Ferula communis'' subsp. ''communis'' – Mediterranean to Arabian Peninsula and Tanzania * ''Ferula communis'' subsp. ''linkii'' – Canary Islands

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q150411 Flora of Israel Flora of Lebanon Flora of North Africa Flora of Palestine (region) Flora of the Mediterranean basin Flora of the Canary Islands Flora of the Arabian Peninsula Flora of Northeast Tropical Africa Flora of East Tropical Africa

communis ''Communis'' may refer to: Anatomy * Anulus tendineus communis or annulus of Zinn, a ring of fibrous tissue surrounding the optic nerve * Carotis communis, the common carotid artery * Extensor digitorum communis, a muscle of the posterior fore ...

Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Edible plants