Apium prostratum
Sea Celery
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Umbelliferae
- Genus
- Apium
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Height
- 0.6 m
- Fertility
- self fertile
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Flies, Self
Uses
Toxicity
Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.
Skin contact with the sap is said to cause photo-sensitivity and/or dermatitis in some people[3].
Edible uses
Leaves - a salty taste, it is used as a flavouring in soups etc or as a garnish in a similar way to parsley[2]. The leaves can also be eaten raw but have a very strong flavour[2]. The stems can be blanched and used like celery[1], but they are small and fibrous so are not very worthwhile[2]. Root. No further details. Seed - used as a flavouring in soups etc.
- Plant part
- Leaves
- Plant part
- Root
- Plant part
- Seed
Material uses
Used for pads to make canoes watertight.
- Product or use
- Waterproofing
Environment
- Range
- Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria.
- Habitat
- Coastal headlands and dunes, margins of brackish swamps and saline stretches of river banks[2].
- Shade tolerance
- partial shade
- Water
- moderate
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
- Salinity
- tolerant
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Germination can be a bit slow, taking a month or more. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division in spring.
Cultivation
Prefers a rich moist soil with some shade in summer. The crushed leaves smell strongly of celery[2]. This plant used to be known as A. australe, along with a New Zealand form and a S. American form. Most botanists now only apply that name to the S. American form, the New Zealand form has been moved to A. filiforme (syn A, prostratum filiforme) whilst this Australian form is now known as A. prostratum[5][2]. This plant has been suggested as having the potential to be bred as a cultivated vegetable[2].
References
Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria.
Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-207-14383-8
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Carolin. R. & Tindale. M. Flora of the Sydney Region Reed. Australia. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0730104001
Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961-00-00