''Apium prostratum'', commonly known as sea celery, is a variable

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

native to coastal

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. The leaves are variable, with toothed leaflets, and a celery like aroma. The tiny white flowers occur in clusters. There are two varieties: * ''Apium prostratum'' var. ''filiforme'' – headland sea celery, squat with broad leaves (2-3 times longer than wide)and grows on coastal dunes and headlands. * ''Apium prostratum'' var. ''prostratum'' – mangrove sea celery, upright with fine leaves (6-15 times longer than wide) and grows in swamps. The

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

''Apium prostratum'' subsp. ''howense'' is endemic to

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland Port ...

Uses

Commonly eaten by Maori in New Zealand, for whom it is known as Tutae Koau, sea celery was also an important vegetable for early explorers and colonists in Australia and New Zealand.

Captain Cook Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 1768 and 1779. He complet ...

ate sea celery at

Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal language, Dharawal: ''Kamay'') is an open oceanic embayment, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point a ...

and gathered it in bulk along with '' Lepidium oleraceum'' at

Poverty Bay Poverty Bay (Māori language, Māori: ''Tūranganui-a-Kiwa''), officially named Tūranganui-a-Kiwa / Poverty Bay, is the largest of several small bays on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island to the north of Hawke Bay. It stretches for ...

in October 1769 to protect his crew from

scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...

. It was commonly eaten by colonists as a survival food in the early days of the

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

colony. Both leaf and stem are eaten. Dried leaves are used in native Australian

spice In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...

mixes. It tastes much the same as celery and is used to flavour soups. Variety ''filiforme'' is considered to be more palatable. It was cultivated by colonists around Albany,

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, as a vegetable. It is commercially cultivated to a limited extent.

References

External Links

* prostratum Apiales of Australia Edible Apiaceae Bushfood Leaf vegetables Crops originating from Australia Crops originating from New Zealand Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Flora of Victoria (state) Flora of Tasmania Flora of South Australia Eudicots of Western Australia Flora of the Antipodes Islands Plants described in 1804 {{Australia-asterid-stub