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FENNEL
Sentiment: Worthy of Praise

"For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth over and around us lies:
For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of light:
For the joy of ear and eye, for the heart and mind's delight,
For the mystic harmony linking sense to sound and sight:
For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above; for all gentle thoughts and mild:
Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise."

The words to the hymn, "For the Beauty of the Earth," were written by Folliott Sanford Pierpont, an American who lived from 1835 to 1917.

Botanical Species: Foeniculum vulgare
Common Name: fennel, wild fennel

Linnaeus first named fennel Anethum foeniculum, embracing two varieties - sweet fennel and common or wild fennel. Later botanists placed it with Foeniculum, which means "little hay," the name given to this plant by the Romans because of its hay-like odor, dividing it into two varieties, F. vulgare, common or wild fennel, and F. dulce, sweet fennel.

Fennel was cultivated by the ancient Romans for its edible leaves, seeds, and stalks, which taste like licorice. Pliny may have started the superstition that fennel strengthens the eyes. It was included in ancient victory wreaths as a symbol of strength and that which is worthy of praise.

Description & Habitat: A tall herb, with delicate, feathery leaves that grow from the edible root stalk. The small, yellow flowers, produced in terminal clusters on up to twenty rays, resemble the flowers of the dill plant. Considered indigenous to the Mediterranean region, it has spread with civilization and may be found growing wild in many parts of the world. It flourishes particularly on limestone soils near the sea.

© 2001 by CSL Press and Susan Loy. All rights reserved.

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