Austral Sea Celery
Family: Apiaceae
Botanical Name: Apium prostratum
Botanical Name: Apium prostratum
OVERVIEW
This plant is one of my highest regarded wild edibles. It tastes beautiful and is basically four flavours in one. It's leaves resemble and taste like parsley which is why it's often referred to as sea parsley. The stems taste like celery and the plant produces a huge taproot which looks, smells and even tastes very similar to carrot. Here's the catch, do you like salt? All parts of the plant have a mild salt flavour as it grows in saline ground. As a forager salt is rather hard to find unless you live near a beach and even then it's a pain in the arse so I for one welcome the flavour. This plant is in the same family as carrots, celery and parsley and as a forager you should know that means this plant comes with a very serious warning.
CONSUMPTION
The leaves, stem and taproot are all edible raw or cooked. The leaves and stems are best in salads or as a garnish but can be used in any way you would use parsley or celery. Cooking will reduce the salinity to some extent. The foliage will reduce when flowers appear and the taste will be somewhat inferior. Like most herbs, consumption is best prior to buds appearing. The taproot can be pulled and eaten as you hike which can provide a decent amount of food quickly to help keep your energy up. The roots use is massively versatile limited only to your imagination... Okay, fair enough, you ain't gonna use it as a trampoline but you know what I mean! It's a good hardy vegetable best harvested in autumn as is the case with most roots.
This plant is one of my highest regarded wild edibles. It tastes beautiful and is basically four flavours in one. It's leaves resemble and taste like parsley which is why it's often referred to as sea parsley. The stems taste like celery and the plant produces a huge taproot which looks, smells and even tastes very similar to carrot. Here's the catch, do you like salt? All parts of the plant have a mild salt flavour as it grows in saline ground. As a forager salt is rather hard to find unless you live near a beach and even then it's a pain in the arse so I for one welcome the flavour. This plant is in the same family as carrots, celery and parsley and as a forager you should know that means this plant comes with a very serious warning.
CONSUMPTION
The leaves, stem and taproot are all edible raw or cooked. The leaves and stems are best in salads or as a garnish but can be used in any way you would use parsley or celery. Cooking will reduce the salinity to some extent. The foliage will reduce when flowers appear and the taste will be somewhat inferior. Like most herbs, consumption is best prior to buds appearing. The taproot can be pulled and eaten as you hike which can provide a decent amount of food quickly to help keep your energy up. The roots use is massively versatile limited only to your imagination... Okay, fair enough, you ain't gonna use it as a trampoline but you know what I mean! It's a good hardy vegetable best harvested in autumn as is the case with most roots.
IDENTIFICATION
The correct identification of Apium prostratum is imperative as it is related to the notoroius and deadly species of Hemlocks (Conium spp. and Cicuta spp.). which are all super poisonous, thus comes the warning mentioned in the overview. Although the two plants don't really look alike at all once you've established the differences. It's a general rule of thumb in foraging to NEVER eat any plant you do not know, however this rule is applied ten fold to those that resemble carrot or parsley.
It is a small sprawling plant that has multiple stems around 5mm in diameter all sprouting from a central point. The leaves are both toothed and lobed. The plant is entirely hairless with quite distinctive nodes. Leaves vary in shape usually 3-5 deep lobes. When in bloom it bares small umbrells with tiny flowers, usually white occasionally pink. Influrescence will occur around August and continues to about march. The taproot is large and smooth with a brown but slightly orange pigment.
The correct identification of Apium prostratum is imperative as it is related to the notoroius and deadly species of Hemlocks (Conium spp. and Cicuta spp.). which are all super poisonous, thus comes the warning mentioned in the overview. Although the two plants don't really look alike at all once you've established the differences. It's a general rule of thumb in foraging to NEVER eat any plant you do not know, however this rule is applied ten fold to those that resemble carrot or parsley.
It is a small sprawling plant that has multiple stems around 5mm in diameter all sprouting from a central point. The leaves are both toothed and lobed. The plant is entirely hairless with quite distinctive nodes. Leaves vary in shape usually 3-5 deep lobes. When in bloom it bares small umbrells with tiny flowers, usually white occasionally pink. Influrescence will occur around August and continues to about march. The taproot is large and smooth with a brown but slightly orange pigment.
CHARACTERISTICS
A short lived annual herb that produces young succulent hardy veggies for the cooler seasons with its root. Meanwhile also giving loads of salad greens and pot herbs until the summer hits. Then it will produce less foliage and give birth to 10's of thousands of seeds and pass away gracefully and compost into the soil that will bare its young.
HABITAT
Found along the edges of brackish water like lakes and creeks. Likes soft moist saline soil. Often found growing directly out of clumps of seaweed along the lakes edge which allows for an easy harvest that uses little energy. A welcomed change from the tedious digging required for most taproots. It's commonly found in swamps and wetlands. It's usually found in open sunny spots but not where the ground is dry. It can also survive in partly shaded areas and in amongst other plants growing along the bank.
DISTRIBUTION
Found along the southern coast of Australia and in limited inland regions near brackish water. Found along the NSW coast though not really in VIC and not found in TAS as far as I know. Found all along the SA coast from the VIC border region to as far along as Ceduna. Found around the Perth region but not really anywhere else in WA.
A short lived annual herb that produces young succulent hardy veggies for the cooler seasons with its root. Meanwhile also giving loads of salad greens and pot herbs until the summer hits. Then it will produce less foliage and give birth to 10's of thousands of seeds and pass away gracefully and compost into the soil that will bare its young.
HABITAT
Found along the edges of brackish water like lakes and creeks. Likes soft moist saline soil. Often found growing directly out of clumps of seaweed along the lakes edge which allows for an easy harvest that uses little energy. A welcomed change from the tedious digging required for most taproots. It's commonly found in swamps and wetlands. It's usually found in open sunny spots but not where the ground is dry. It can also survive in partly shaded areas and in amongst other plants growing along the bank.
DISTRIBUTION
Found along the southern coast of Australia and in limited inland regions near brackish water. Found along the NSW coast though not really in VIC and not found in TAS as far as I know. Found all along the SA coast from the VIC border region to as far along as Ceduna. Found around the Perth region but not really anywhere else in WA.