''Oenanthe javanica'', commonly Java waterdropwort, water celery, water dropwort, Chinese celery, Indian pennywort and Japanese (flat leaf) parsley, is a plant of the genus '' Oenanthe'' originating from

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

. It has a widespread native distribution in

temperate Asia The World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) is a biogeographical system developed by the international Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) organization, formerly the International Working Group on Taxonomic Da ...

and

tropical Asia Tropical Asia refers to the entirety of the areas in Asia with a tropical climate. These areas are of geographic and economic importance due to their natural resources and biodiversity, which include many species of agricultural value. There are ...

, and is also native to

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. This plant should not be confused with the plants of the genus ''

Cryptotaenia ''Cryptotaenia'', or honewort, is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants, native to North America, Africa, and eastern Asia, growing wild in moist, shady places. Species Species accepted by The Plant List as of August 2014. Some studies have sug ...

'', sometimes called "Japanese wild parsley" (''mitsuba'' in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

), ''Apium graveolens'' var. ''secalinum'' which is also called "Chinese celery", or other plants called "

water dropwort Water dropwort is a common name for several genera of plants and may refer to: * ''Oenanthe'' (plant) * ''Oxypolis ''Oxypolis'' is a small genus of North American flowering plants in the carrot family known as cowbane, water dropwort, dropwort ...

" and "

water celery Water celery is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *Oenanthe (plant), ''Oenanthe'' (plant), primarily: **''Oenanthe javanica'' (Apiaceae), native to eastern Asia *''Ranunculus sceleratus'' (Ranunculaceae), native to North America, A ...

Description

''Oenanthe javanica'' is a perennial herb that grows to about 1 m in height, with fibrous roots that emerge from all nodes, and flowers with 5 white petals and 5 stamens. The leaves are aromatic, glabrous, and have a sheath covering the stem. The leaflets are divided into lobes and crinkled. The 'Flamingo' variety has colorful pink edges. The plant grows wild in moist areas, along streams and on the edges of ponds. The plant is considered officially invasive in several states of the United States.

Culinary use

While many other species of ''Oenanthe'' are extremely toxic, ''Oenanthe javanica'' is edible, and is cultivated in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, as well as in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, where its spring growths are relished as a vegetable.

India

Known locally as ''komprek'' ( mni, ꯀꯣꯝꯄ꯭ꯔꯦꯛ), it is commonly consumed in the

Northeast India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

n state of

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...

, where it is one of the main ingredients in Manipuri ''

eromba Eromba is an ethnic dish of the Meitei community of Manipur, India. History The word "eromba" comes from "eeru taana lonba", a Meitei term for a liquid that is mixed. Preparation The vegetables (such as potatoes and garlic), spices (suc ...

'' and ''

singju Singju ( mni, ꯁꯤꯡꯁꯨ; ''pronounced sing-zoo'') is a dish from Manipur. It originated with the Meitei-culture but has been widely adopted by most of the ethnic communities of the state and in some neighbouring states of Northeast Indi ...

''.

Japan

Called ''seri'' () in Japanese, it is one of the ingredients of the symbolic dish consumed in the Japanese spring-time festival, ''

Nanakusa-no-sekku The Festival of Seven Herbs or ''Nanakusa no sekku'' ( ja, ) is the long-standing Japanese custom of eating seven-herb rice porridge (七草粥, ''nanakusa-gayu'', lit. "7 Herbs Rice-Congee") on January 7 (''Jinjitsu''); one of the ''Gosekku ...

''. File:Nanakusa gayu on Nanakusa no sekku.jpg, ''Nanakusa- gayu'' (seven herb congee) eaten on ''

'' (seven herb festival)

Korea

In Korea, the plant is called ''minari'' () and is eaten as ''

namul Namul ( ko, 나물) refers to either a variety of edible grass or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (, "mountain namul"), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (, "spring namul"). On t ...

'' vegetable. The award-winning 2020 drama film '' Minari'' is named for the vegetable. File:Minari-muchim.jpg, ''Minari-

muchim Namul ( ko, 나물) refers to either a variety of edible grass or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (, "mountain namul"), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (, "spring namul"). On t ...

'' (seasoned water dropwort salad) File:Minari-oi-muchim.jpg, ''Minari- oi-muchim'' (seasoned water dropwart and cucumber salad) File:Minari-buchimgae.jpg, ''Minari-

buchimgae ''Buchimgae'' (), or Korean pancake, refers broadly to any type of pan-fried ingredients soaked in egg or a batter mixed with other ingredients. More specifically, it is a dish made by pan-frying a thick batter mixed with egg and other ingredie ...

'' (water dropwort pancake) File:Minari-ganghoe.jpg, ''Minari-

ganghoe ( ko, 강회) is a variety of ''hoe (food), hoe'' dish of rolled and tied ribbons made with blanched vegetables such as ''minari'' (''Oeananthe javanica'') and ''silpa'' (thread scallions). Sometimes, the vegetables are bundled into ribbons, whil ...

'' (water dropwort rolls)

Constituents

The plant contains

persicarin Persicarin is a sulfated flavonoid naturally found in the cells of several plant species, including the water dropwort (''Oenanthe javanica''). It was first isolated from water pepper in 1937 by Jeffrey Harborne. The name of persicarin is derived ...

and

isorhamnetin Isorhamnetin is an O-methylated flavon-ol from the class of flavonoids. A common food source of this 3'-methoxylated derivative of quercetin and its glucoside conjugates are pungent yellow or red onions, in which it is a minor pigment, quercetin ...

.Anticoagulant activities of persicarin and isorhamnetin. Ku SK, Kim TH and Bae JS, Vascul Pharmacol., April 2013, volume 58, issue 4, pages 272-279,

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Apioideae Asian vegetables Edible Apiaceae Flora of Queensland Flora of temperate Asia Flora of tropical Asia Perennial vegetables