About Apium prostratum Labill.
Apium prostratum Labill., commonly known as sea celery, is a variable herb native to coastal regions of Australia and New Zealand. Its leaves are variable, with toothed leaflets, and have a celery-like aroma. Tiny white flowers grow in clusters on this plant. This species is divided into two recognized varieties: Apium prostratum var. filiforme, called headland sea celery, is a low-growing plant with broad leaves (2 to 3 times longer than wide) that grows on coastal dunes and headlands. The second variety, Apium prostratum var. prostratum, is called mangrove sea celery; it is an upright plant with fine leaves (6 to 15 times longer than wide) that grows in swamps. A separate subspecies, Apium prostratum subsp. howense, is endemic to Lord Howe Island. Sea celery, known as Tutae Koau by Māori in New Zealand, is commonly eaten by Māori. It was also an important vegetable for early European explorers and colonists in both Australia and New Zealand. Captain Cook ate sea celery at Botany Bay, and gathered large quantities of it alongside Lepidium olieraceum at Poverty Bay, New Zealand, in October 1769 to protect his crew from scurvy. In the early years of the Sydney colony, it was commonly eaten as a survival food by colonists. Both the leaves and stems of sea celery are eaten. Dried leaves are added to native Australian spice mixes. Sea celery has a very similar flavor to celery, and is used to add flavor to soups. Variety filiforme is generally considered more palatable than other variants. It was grown as a vegetable by colonists in the area around Albany, Western Australia, and is currently commercially cultivated to a limited extent.
