This study was carried out to get basic information about the morphological and production characteristics of fennel populations different origin under different ecological conditions in Hungary. The Korean population can be registered as a medium high genotype and showed a more accelerated growth characters than Hungarian taxon and the two populations have a medium homogeneity (CV = 4~22%). In the second year plant height in Hungarian taxon was significantly higher than that of the Korean population. The shooting dynamic of individual plants might be heterogeneous in both taxa and the Korean population was not only shorter in the height but had also less shoots by 16% than the Hungarian one. The Hungarian taxon exceeded the umbel size and numbers to the Korean one (by 3.62 cm in the average) and the variability in the populations was high (CV = 29~49%). Seed size was proved to be also a discriminative feature between the examined taxa. With small deviations (CV 〈 2) the Hungarian population produced seeds longer by 38%. Homogeneity in the populations was dependent more on the vegetation years and on the characteristics measured but less on the origins, respectively.

The essential oils were isolated by hydrodistillation and their composition determined capillary GC method with standards. The essential oil content showed significant differences between the two populations on the vegetative organs. The essential oil level of the leaves and roots was considerably higher in the Korean population at full flowering and waxy ripening stage but essential oil content of the roots was significantly higher in the Hungarian taxon at leaf rosette stage. We observed the essential oil accumulation tendency was mianly dependent on plant organs and intra-specific taxon during the vegeation period. Butylidene-phthalide was proved to be the main component of the oil in both population roots (50.9-73.3%), while dimethyl-acetate was showed as a major compound on the over-ground parts (56.7-62.0%). The qualitative composition of the essential oil in the reproductive organs concerning the identified compounds was the same as the vegetative parts with the main component α-phellandrene (4.8-28.1%) and butylidene-phtalide (9.7-16.1%), The quantitative composition showed some changes during the ontogenesis phases. Most characteristic ones are the decreasing proportion of dimethyl-acetate (from 7.3% to 1.1%) and the appearance of α-pinene (from 0.5% to 1.5%) only after fruit setting in both population.