What is "ferula communis"

Narthex \Nar"thex\, n. [L., giant fennel, Gr. na`rqhx.]

1. (Bot.) A tall umbelliferous plant ( Ferula communis). See Giant fennel, under Fennel.

2. (Arch.) The portico in front of ancient churches; sometimes, the atrium or outer court surrounded by ambulatories; -- used, generally, for any vestibule, lobby, or outer porch, leading to the nave of a church.

Fennel \Fen"nel\ (f[e^]n"n[e^]l), n. [AS. fenol, finol, from L. feniculum, faeniculum, dim. of fenum, faenum, hay: cf. F. fenouil. Cf. Fenugreek. Finochio.] (Bot.) A perennial plant of the genus F[ae]niculum ( F[ae]niculum vulgare), having very finely divided leaves. It is cultivated in gardens for the agreeable aromatic flavor of its seeds.

Smell of sweetest fennel.
--Milton.

A sprig of fennel was in fact the theological smelling bottle of the tender sex.
--S. G. Goodrich.

Azorean fennel, or Sweet fennel, ( F[ae]niculum dulce). It is a smaller and stouter plant than the common fennel, and is used as a pot herb.

Dog's fennel ( Anthemis Cotula), a foul-smelling European weed; -- called also mayweed.

Fennel flower (Bot.), an herb ( Nigella) of the Buttercup family, having leaves finely divided, like those of the fennel. Nigella Damascena is common in gardens. Nigella sativa furnishes the fennel seed, used as a condiment, etc., in Indi

1. These seeds are the ``fitches'' mentioned in Isaiah (xxviii. 25).

   Fennel water (Med.), the distilled water of fennel seed. It is stimulant and carminative.

   Giant fennel ( Ferula communis), has stems full of pith, which, it is said, were used to carry fire, first, by Prometheus.

   Hog's fennel, a European plant ( Peucedanum officinale) looking something like fennel.

Ferula communis, the giant fennel, is a species in the genus Ferula of the Apiaceae. It is related to common fennel, which belongs to another genus ( Foeniculum).

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

In Sardinia two different chemotypes of Ferula communis have been identified: poisonous (especially to animals like sheep, goats, cattle, and horses) and not-poisonous. They differ for both secondary metabolites pattern and enzymatic composition.

The name of the phenolic compound ferulic acid comes from the giant fennel Latin name, where the compound can be isolated.