Sea Celery, Prostrate marshwort
Apium prostratum
Family: Apiaceae or Umbelliferae
What it is like
Apium prostratum is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Flies. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in saline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Coastal headlands and dunes, margins of brackish swamps and saline stretches of river banks.
Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
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.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
Used for pads to make canoes watertight.
Waterproofing: Does what it says. See also Pitch and Oil.
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Prefers a rich moist soil with some shade in summer. The crushed leaves smell strongly of celery. 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. This plant has been suggested as having the potential to be bred as a cultivated vegetable.
Propagating it: 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.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Skin contact with the sap is said to cause photo-sensitivity and/or dermatitis in some people.