bronze fennel

noun

: any of various ornamental cultivars of the fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) having upright clumps of finely divided, bronze or purplish-bronze leaves

In the ornamental bed, bronze fennel looks great in front of a backdrop of bright green foliage. When it is in bloom, bronze fennel has few rivals—its extravagant lace doily flowers are a magnet for hover flies, bees and butterflies.

—Adrienne Cook, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2002

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

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