Nigella arvensis, the field nigella or wild fennel flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae. It is native to North Africa, central, southern and eastern Europe, the Caucasus region, and the Middle East as far as Iran, and has gone extinct in Switzerland and Crete. It is a minor crop, used locally as a substitute for Nigella sativa, black caraway.
Subtaxa
The following subtaxa are accepted: Nigella arvensis var. anatolica – Turkey Nigella arvensis var. iranica – Iran Nigella arvensis subsp. latilabris – Israel Nigella arvensis var. longicornis – Turkey, Levant, Iraq Nigella arvensis subsp. negevensis – Israel Nigella arvensis var. oblanceolata – Turkey Nigella arvensis subsp. palaestina – Turkey, Levant Nigella arvensis var. simplicifolia – Iraq