Apium graveolens L.   Apiaceae (Carrot Family)   Europe   Celery

                                           May Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Perennial caulescent herb, erect to ascending, 5-12 dm. tall, stems not rooting at nodes; basal lvs. pinnate, 1-6 dm. long, petioled, the upper much reduced; lfts. 5-9, 2.5-7 cm. long, the divisions ovate to suborbicular or cuneate; petioles 3-25 cm. long; fls. white in compound umbels which are sessile or short-peduncled; invol. and involucels none; rays 7-16; pedicels 1-6 mm. long; fr. subglobose to ellipsoid, notched at tip, ca. 1.5 mm. long.

Habitat:  Common in wet places at low elevs.; San Nicolas Id.  May-July.

Name:  Latin, apium, parsley.  (Jaeger 22).   Graveolens means strong smelling.  (Dale 46).

General:  Very common in the study area.  The photographed specimens were from the Delhi Ditch and along the road from the Newporter Inn to San Joaquin Hills Dr. (my comments).     Indians used this plant as a potherb.  The Cahuillas, Indians of the Colorado Desert, the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains, made a tea for kidney complaints.  The tops should not be eaten due to the level of nitrates and should be discarded.  The wild plant, though easily recognized by its smell, has a much stronger aftertaste than the cultivated plant.  For this reason it is best mixed with other strong flavors or cooked rather than eaten raw.  Ancient Greeks used Celery as an award at sports events.  Abyssinians stuffed pillows with Celery leaves as a cure for headache. (Clarke 148).        Greeks made a wine called selinites from wild celery that grew around the Mediterranean Sea.  (ref. not recorded).    The Indians dried the blossoms and used them as perfume.  (Murphy 57).      Some people are allergic to celery, and for them the real harm comes from poison, which is given off by the leaves under conditions of considerable moisture.  This poison may produce a rash not unlike poison ivy.  This fact has not prevented celery from being a choice salad plant from earliest times.  It is said the Romans enjoyed it and wore crowns of the leaves for dinner guests.    Herbalists rate celery as having a calming quality to the nerves and as a diuretic.  (Coon 78).     A tonic made from celery is known to stimulate the sexual appetite, as an aphrodisiac.  Celery is popular as a flavoring.  There are several ways of absorbing the beneficial ingredients.    The oil in the seeds may be extracted by compression or the seeds may be placed in a cup and hot water poured on them or on the dried ripe fruit and allowed to steep for one-half hour.  The liquid is then strained out and dosages of one or two tablespoonfuls at a time will be sufficient for good results. (Kadans 89,90).           Celery root is a flavorsome and tender starchy vegetable.  (John Johnson).      A. graveolens is known to accumulate free nitrates in quantities capable of causing death or distress in cattle.  (Fuller 384).      Celery seeds are used to flavor mayonnaise, French dressing, catsup, cream cheese, salads, cabbage and beet dishes, potato and tomato dishes, soups, pickles, meat loaf, hamburgers, sauces and gravies.  (Meyer 180).       Excellent for use in incontinence of urine, dropsical and liver troubles.  Produces perspiration, is a splendid tonic.  Good in rheumatism and neuralgia, also nervousness. (Kloss 231).       About 3 species of Eurasia and Southern Hemisphere.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 71).

Text Ref:  Munz, Calif. Flora 1010; Hickman, Ed. 141; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 71.

Photo Ref:  Feb-Mar 83 # 14,15; May 4 83 # 7.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by G. Marsh.  

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 136.

No plant specimen.

Last edit 10/22/02.

                                            March Photo