Despite the name, the plant is not a type of fennel proper, which belongs to another genus (Foeniculum).

It has alternate leaf arrangement and yellow, unisexual flowers which, like other Apiaceae, grow in umbels.

[1] Its range is the Mediterranean coast, in Spain, Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Cyprus, and Turkey.

[7] The species has been suggested as a possible identity for the controversial silphium, a plant used as a spice and for various medical purposes in classical antiquity in the Mediterranean region.

[8] Among the many uses of silphium was promoting menstruation, and possibly contraceptive or abortifacient properties, which has been suggested to link it to Ferula.