Herb: Sea Celery


Latin name: Apium prostratum


Family: Umbelliferae



Edible parts of Sea Celery:

Leaves - a salty taste, it is used as a flavouring in soups etc or as a garnish in a similar way to parsley. The leaves can also be eaten raw but have a very strong flavour. The stems can be blanched and used like celery, but they are small and fibrous so are not very worthwhile. Root. No further details. Seed - used as a flavouring in soups etc.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
60 cm
(2 feet)

Scent:
Scented
Perennial

Habitat of the herb:

Coastal headlands and dunes, margins of brackish swamps and saline stretches of river banks.

Other uses of Sea Celery:

Used for pads to make canoes watertight.

Propagation of the herb:

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 of Sea Celery:

Coastal headlands and dunes, margins of brackish swamps and saline stretches of river banks.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Apium prostratum:

Skin contact with the sap is said to cause photo-sensitivity and/or dermatitis in some people.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.