Ferula communis

Ferula communis, the giant fennel,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae. It is somewhat related to common fennel, which belongs to another genus, Foeniculum, also in the family Apiaceae.

Giant fennel
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Ferula
Species:
F. communis
Binomial name
Ferula communis
Ferula communis - MHNT

Ferula communis is a tall herbaceous perennial. It is found in Mediterranean and East African woodlands and shrublands.[2] It was known in antiquity as Laser[3] or narthex.[4]

In Sardinia two different chemotypes of Ferula communis have been identified: poisonous (especially to animals like sheep, goats, cattle, and horses) and non-poisonous.[5] They differ in both secondary metabolites patterning and enzymatic composition.[6]

The phenolic compound ferulic acid is named for the giant fennel, from which it can be isolated.

In Ancient Greek mythology, Prometheus gave mortals fire by hiding it in the plant's hollow stalk. (cite Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound)

References
  1. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. "Flora of Israel Online entry". Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  3. Apicius: A Critical Edition with an Introduction and an English Translation, ed. Grocok and Grainger
  4. Kandeler, R.; Ullrich, W. R. (2009). "Symbolism of plants: Examples from European-Mediterranean culture presented with biology and history of art: MARCH: Silphion and narthex". Journal of Experimental Botany. 60 (3): 715–717. doi:10.1093/jxb/erp041. PMID 19269995.
  5. Verotta, editor, Luisella (1997). Virtual activity, real pharmacology : different approaches to the search for bioactive natural compounds. Trivandrum, India: Research Signpost. ISBN 9788186481172.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  6. Zucca, Paolo; Sanjust, Enrico; Loi, Martina; Sollai, Francesca; Ballero, Mauro; Pintus, Manuela; Rescigno, Antonio (June 2013). "Isolation and characterization of polyphenol oxidase from Sardinian poisonous and non-poisonous chemotypes of Ferula communis (L.)". Phytochemistry. 90: 16–24. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2013.02.019. PMID 23523329.
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