Not sure what you've got there, but the edible part of sweet fennel/bulb fennel grows above ground, it is just the swollen lower part of the leaf ribs, kind of like a celery with a big butt. Maybe you ended up with the non-bulbing variety grown for the leaves and seeds?

The picture is from what someone pulled out of their garden - those roots are both from fennel and from parsnips, the person posted them because of their striking similarity.

From what I gather there is a type of fennel that bulbs and is commonly used in cooking, this is called 'Florence Fennel' and is common in grocery stores.

The other fennel can be wild or Bronze Fennel and it doesn't have a bulb, instead is has a taproot.

The taproot tastes like fennel would but when I put it in the blender for a smoothie you can tell it's a little fibrous.

I am 100% sure this is fennel. If you do a google search for fennel my plant looks exactly like it. My plants are all from seed, and I collect the seeds to use in bread etc. They taste like fennel seeds and look exactly the same. I am pretty sure this plant came from somewhere like a nursery, or a plant that came from the nursery - I think it is wild fennel.

There are two (maybe more) types of fennel.

One is grown for the white, bulblike base of the stalks and is used as a vegetable, either cooked or sliced thinly as a salad ingredient. This is Florence fennel or finochio.

The other is grown as an herb. The seeds (and I think the leaves) are used as a flavoring. It does not produce the bulblike base.

Both types have a flavor like anise.

Jim

Yeah, that's sad, I pulled all the roots but theyre of not much use!

Pity you pulled the roots. Fennel is perennial and you could have been picking it for years to use as a herb. Florence Fennel is not a root vegetable. You don't need to dig or pull it. The 'bulb' is above ground and is just the enlarged bases of the leaves as visible in digdirt's link.

Regarding the picture you posted of the roots. If some of those are meant to be parsnips they are a pretty sad looking crop. There shouldn't be a 'striking similarity' if the parsnips are well grown. Parsnip roots should be much larger than fennel roots and not at all confusable except maybe in colour.

Ah I see. Yeah that's ok there's still some fennel left and I'm sure more will sprout.

As an herb, you can use the roots, the leaves and young stalks, the seeds, and the flowers. I use the frozen leaves and young stalks to flavor my chickens, and the ground seeds in omelets and other heavier food.

If you were to cut the Fennal at ground level and leave the roots in the ground, what are the chances the Fennel will start growing again and produce a bulbous base?

The probability of getting a bulbous base from the type of fennel which does not produce a bulbous base is zero. You need the other type of fennel for that.

Jim

Deleted duplicate post.

This post was edited by jimster on Thu, Nov 29, 12 at 20:05

If Florence fennel bolts before it bulbs (thickens at the base) it will just stay leggy and not form a bulb. I've given up on the regular Florence fennel. Both this year and last year they bolted immediately after the weather started to get hot.

I did have some luck this year with the Orion fennel hybrid and got a small bulb out of that. I'm planning on trying both Orion and Zefa Fino next year, and trying to start indoors in peat pots so I can get them out as early as possible.