New Zealand Celery

Botanical name: Apium prostratum subsp. prostratum var. filiforme
Common name(s): New Zealand Celery, Sea Celery, Headland Sea Celery, Tutae Koau

Plant facts:
A sprawling edible coastal herb with aromatic celery-scented foliage and small cream-white flowers. This hardy native member of the carrot family naturally inhabits coastal wetlands, estuaries, rocky shorelines, and damp seepages throughout New Zealand and southern Australasia.

Natural habitat:
Occurs naturally on coastal rock ledges, estuaries, saltmarshes, brackish wetlands, damp cliff faces, peaty hollows, stream margins, and lake edges.

Growing environment:
Full sun to partial shade, Damp soil, Coastal tolerant & Wetland tolerant.
Thrives in moist free-draining soils and tolerates saline coastal conditions.

Indigenous distribution:
Indigenous to New Zealand, Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea.
In New Zealand it occurs throughout the Kermadec, Three Kings, North, South, Stewart, and Antipodes Islands.

Height:
Low growing and sprawling, usually forming mats or trailing stems 10–30 cm tall

Spread:
Trailing stems may spread from approximately 30 cm to over 1 metre long

Flowering:
Spring to autumn
Produces small cream to pale yellow flowers in compound umbels from August to March.

Fruiting:
Spring to winter
Produces corky ribbed seeds from September to July which disperse readily by water.

Uses:

• Coastal and wetland restoration
• Edible native herb gardens
• Salt-tolerant planting
• Stream and pond margins
• Native culinary gardens
• Groundcover for damp sites

Appearance:

Growth habit:
A prostrate sprawling perennial herb with long trailing stems weaving through surrounding vegetation.

Leaves:
Leaves are glossy dark green to yellow-green and highly variable in shape, ranging from broad toothed segments to finely divided forms. Foliage has a fresh celery-like aroma when crushed.

Flowers:
Tiny cream to pale yellow flowers are produced in delicate umbrella-shaped clusters above the foliage.

Fruit:
Seeds are small corky ribbed mericarps adapted for dispersal by water.

Ecology:
An adaptable coastal and wetland species able to tolerate saline environments, temporary inundation, and shifting coastal conditions. Its buoyant fruits aid natural dispersal through waterways and estuaries.

Cultural and historical significance:
Traditionally eaten by Māori and widely gathered by early European explorers and settlers as a valuable anti-scurvy vegetable. Captain James Cook famously collected and consumed sea celery during early voyages around New Zealand.

Edibility:
Leaves and stems are edible with a flavour similar to cultivated celery. Particularly useful fresh in salads, soups, and herb mixes.

How to grow:
Best grown in consistently moist soil in full sun or light shade. Thrives in coastal gardens, damp borders, pond margins, and containers kept moist. Tolerates brackish conditions and occasional flooding.

Propagation:
Very easy from fresh seed, stem pieces, or division of established plants.

Garden value:
An attractive edible native herb ideal for wetland gardens and coastal landscapes. Its lush trailing foliage softens edges around ponds, rocks, and water features while providing culinary and ecological value.