The king Giant Fennel

I saw a big yellow ball sticking out above all the other little flowers and I had no idea what I was looking at. Of course I had to get closer to look at it, but that did not help at all. Still had no idea what I was looking at.
If I managed to ID it correctly, it is a type of Fennel. A giant one!

Ferula communis

Comparing it to the images I found online it does look a little bit different. The cluster of yellow flower is much more compact on this one. But that could be cause by the harsh growing conditions. High on the cliff with nearly constant winds and sun.

Let's say I am right though :)
It is quite common in the Mediterranean region and it can reach human height. I have seen the leaves growing along field roads further inland, where they are more protected from the winds and they are really tall. I didn't see the flowers, but they do grow even higher above the leaves. You can google some images if you are curious.

The one here is not that tall and it's still much taller than anything else.





Blooming time starts in late winter and lasts till July with a peak in April. The leaves will stay green a little longer, but by the fall they will also die back.





Here is a very cool old graphic from 1907 of the plant.



_{source - Curtis's botanical magazine}


Fun fact:
In the past people were using it to make whips to discipline kids in schools. How lovely :)
_{fun source}