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

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

native to coastal

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. 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.Low, T., ''Wild Food Plants of Australia'', 1988. Sea Celery, Victorian resources Online. http://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/sip_sea_celery The

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

''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 P ...

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 James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

ate sea celery at

Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is 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 and the Cook ...

and gathered it in bulk along with ''

Lepidium oleraceum ''Lepidium oleraceum'' is a herb in the family Brassicaceae, endemic to New Zealand. Its English common name is Cook's scurvy grass; Māori names include nau, ngau, naunau and heketara. Its specific epithet ''oleraceum'' means "vegetable/herba ...

'' at

Poverty Bay Poverty Bay (Māori: ''Tūranganui-a-Kiwa'') 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 from Young Nick's Head in the southwest to Tuaheni Point in the north ...

in October 1769 to protect his crew from

scurvy Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...

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

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

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

spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...

mixes. It tastes much the same as celery and is used to flavour

soups Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingre ...

. Variety ''filiforme'' is considered to be more palatable. It was cultivated by colonists around Albany,

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

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

References

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