Can anyone tell what the difference is between the Dill and the Fennel plant when you look at it. I had a fennel plant in my last garden and it grew to about 4 feet high and tasted like aniseed, however, my friends plant looks very similar and tastes similar but she says it is a Dill plant?
The problem is probably cross-pollination. While the differences between the taste of the two is easily detectable, they can appear similar. But, since they can cross pollinate, the resultant plant produced by cross-pollination might not be as easily identified by either taste or conformance.....
Dill is a plant from the group of umbelliferer while Fennel is actually grown for its bulbous onion like stem base. This is just on the soil and looks like a large onion but with thicker skins and you can slice it and eat it raw or fry it in stir fry or boil it and yes it is aniseedy. Dill seeds and the chopped fronds are found with pickles and you can also use the fennel fronds similarly.