Anis
Foeniculum vulgare · Fennel
- Names in the book
- Anis, Sp.; Fennel, Eng.
- Used for
- Stomach and digestion
- Colours
- floweryellow
- Native range
- Mediterranean
- In the Philippines, per the book
- Common, cultivated in the gardens and well known.
- Family
- Apiaceae, filed in the book under Umbelliferæ
- Printed as
- Fœniculum vulgare, Gaertn. (F. officinale, Allion; F. panmorium, DC.; Anethum fœniculum, Blanco.)
- Sources
- Page 137 on Project Gutenberg · Wikipedia
The plant today
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea coast and on riverbanks. It is a highly flavorful herb used in cooking and, along with the similar-tasting anise, is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe. Florence fennel or finocchio (UK: , US: , Italian: [fiˈnɔkkjo]) is a selection with a swollen, bulb-like stem base (sometimes called bulb fennel) that is used as a vegetable.
Excerpt from “Fennel” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sa Tagalog
Ang Haras (Foeniculum vulgare; Ingles: fennel) ay isang bulaklak ng halaman species sa pamilya karot. Ito ay isang matapang, santaunan damong-gamot na may dilaw na mga bulaklak at mabalahibong dahon. Ito ay katutubo sa baybay ng Mediteraneo ngunit ito ay naging malawak na naturalized sa maraming bahagi ng mundo, lalo na sa tuyong lupa na malapit sa dagat-baybayin at sa tabing-ilog.
Sipi mula sa “Haras” sa Tagalog Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 3 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 1 province: Metropolitan Manila (1).
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
The book gives one account for this plant and Kulantro (Coriandrum sativum), so the text below appears on each page.
Uses
The fruit of both species has the same therapeutical application being stomachic and carminative par excellence. It yields an aromatic essential oil with stimulant properties, popular because of its agreeable odor and taste.
As a rule the infusion is given in doses of one liter a day (15–30 grams of the seeds to one liter of water). The essence and the alcoholate are also employed, the former obtained by distillation, the latter by macerating the fresh seeds in alcohol. The dose of the essence, 4–8 drops on a piece of sugar or in potion; the alcoholate, 2–10 grams in sweetened water or infusion of aromatic herbs.
Both plants are official in the Spanish Pharmacopœia and they and their preparations are common in all drug stores.
Botanical description
F. vulgare: Aromatic, stout, smooth herb, 4–6° high. Leaves with many slender thread-like divisions. Large umbel of yellow flowers, no involucre and no involucels. C. sativum: Low aromatic herb, leaves pinnately compound, small umbels with few rays, flowers white.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- Correlation between insulin-like growth factor 1 gene expression and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seed powder consumption in muscle of sheep
- Preparation and characterization of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare miller) essential oil/hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex and its application for chilled pork preservation
- Exploring fennel (Foeniculum vulgare): Composition, functional properties, potential health benefits, and safety