This plant grows in large amounts near where I live, and I want to learn more about it. It smells very good and I would like to know what its possible uses are.
I believe it is a type of aniseed or fennel, but need to know the latin name or precise name... thanks!
EDIT: More images!
I checked out the pictures, but frankly, they're not much use - they're blurry and only show the flowering tops of the plant. What we need to see are the leaves/stems/foliage, and a clear, focused shot would be good.
However, the likelihood is that the plant is Foeniculum vulgare - good photos will confirm for sure, or you can examine what you see in the links below
http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Foeniculum+vulgare
http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/fennel
Note there is a difference between Florence Fennel and ordinary fennel or Foeniculum vulgare (link below showing Florence Fennel); the former is classed as a vegetable, the latter as a herb. I use the leaves from the herb version in potato or mayonnaise based salads and its very good with fish. You can use the leaves of Florence fennel in a similar fashion, but ordinary fennel does not develop the swollen bulb at the bottom - it just has a rather long tap root or two.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables/florence-fennel
UPDATED ANSWER
The specimens in your new photos don't show much foliage, so its hard to be absolutely definite that they are Fennel - I suspect they are, and they do grow wild where you live (see link below) but I wouldn't want you to poison yourself eating some lookalike plant. In the link below, you can purchase a small book for wild growing local edibles, and that might be of interest, otherwise, suggest you go and buy yourself a Fennel plant and grow it in your own garden, just to be completely safe. If you just want to use the leaves and not the root, Foeniculum vulgare (or common Fennel) is the one to look for - there is a bronze form, which has brownish leaves, an attractive, feathery looking plant in its own right in the garden. Ensure you get the right planting spot - its next to impossible to move or remove because it has a long tap root, so you need to select the planting site carefully.
I went out with a friend on Friday and harvested the seed pods from that plant to make anisette. We went near the mouth of Topanga Canyon up the coast from LA. The seed heads have a licorice taste. My friend refers to the plants as fennel. I am trying to find how to differentiate fennel from anise. Apparently, they are in the same family related to carrots. After washing it well, I cut the seed head clusters off just above where they gather into the main stem, muddled the seed heads with a wooden spoon in a mason jar and then added Everclear (151 proof grain alcohol) at about a fifth to 4 oz. of seed heads. I did that last night and will let it sit for a few weeks. Already overnight I am getting a blue-green hue to the alcohol. I will filter it through large coffee filters and add a simple syrup to taste (generally find that's around 50-50). Tasty libation. Fritz
This is most certainly Fennel, especially if you live in Berkeley.
It is a MAJOR invasive plant, almost anywhere, except the Mediterranean from where it comes. Be very careful and avoid trying to "grow" this. In California, this thing is now showing up in our national forests and parks, apart from taking over a lot of the lesser maintained trails, parks etc.
Yes, it does help the Aniseed Swallowtail and some others and also has some uses for us, but is a major impedance for other plants. Almost nothing will kill this thing completely once established.
Here is CAL-IPC with much needed detail. Also, tell your friends and everyone you can:
http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/ipcw/pages/detailreport.cfm@usernumber=51&surveynumber=182.php
