Wild Celery is an erect biennial or perennial herb. It grows up to 1.5 to 3 feet tall. The plant grows erect with ascending stems. The leaves and scent of the plant are much like celery. The flowers are white to greenish-white and appear umbrella-like. Wild Celery is a member of the Apiaceae or Carrot family. The plant is native to the temperate and Mediterranean areas of North Africa, Europe, and Asia. It is typically found in moist regions with low elevations. The genus name, Apium , is Latin and means "bees." It was given this name because bees were attracted to the plant. Wild Celery is also known as Smallage. Celery Seed comes from the Wild Celery plant. The remainder of the plant is bitter to taste. Wild Celery is grown in temperate climates. The plant prefers full sun, moist, rich, and well-drained soil. It is reproduced by seeds. Areas may become naturalized from self-seeding. The leaves are green, simple, and pinnatifid, and lobed. The flowers are greenish-white and appear in round clusters. The fruits are tiny, black, ovoid-shaped schizocarp. Wild Celery has a strong, bitter flavor. It is a wild relative of domesticated Celery ( Apium graveolens var. dulce ) and Celery Root ( Apium graveolens var. rapaceum ). Insects, Diseases, and Other Problems: Potential pests include aphids, earwigs, nematodes, celery worms, and slugs. If the soil is not well-drained, root rot may occur. Blight can also be a concern in some areas.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
Less than 12 inches
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 6 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Erect
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Oblong; Obovate
Leaf margin
Crenate; Lobed; Serrate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The basal leaves are oblong to obovate, measure 3 to 7 inches long and 1 to 3 inches wide, and three lobed. The margins are crenate or serrate. The upper leaves appear triangular, three lobed, and obovate.
Flower color
Green; White
Flower form
Umbel
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The flowers are greenish-white and appear in round clusters in the form of an umbrella. The umbel measures 1/2 tp 1 1/2 inches across with 3-16 rays. There are 7-25 small flowers. Each flower measures about 1 mm in diameter. They flower from May to October.
Bloom time
Fall; Spring
Fruit color
Black
Fruit type
Schizocarp
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The fruits are black when ripened. The tiny seeds are ovoid-shaped.
Stem color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Stem detail
The stems are yellowish-green, erect, and have coarse grooves.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Macaronesia to North Africa, Europe to West Himalaya
Distribution
Native: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Morocco, Netherlands, Nova Scotia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Portugal Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sicily, South European Russia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya, Yemen, and Yugoslavia; Introduced: USA--AZ, CA, CT, FL, ID, LA, MA, MS, MO, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TX, UT, WA, and WV; Argentina, Bermuda, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, Haiti, Hungry, India, New Zealand, Norway Peru, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, and Vietnam;
Wildlife value
Wild Celery attracts bees and butterflies.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies
Play value
Attracts Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves; Seeds
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Schizocarp
Edibility
Celery Seed comes from Wild Celery. The bitter-tasting leaves are inedible.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Wild Celery has both herbal and medicinal properties. It has been cultivated since ancient times. The Romans and Egyptians made garlands from the plant. The Greeks used the plant as a culinary herb. The plant is also used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area
Design feature
Small groups
Garden tags
#biennial #pollinator plant #full sun tolerant #perennial #hortcontest #edible #microgreens