Plant
Celery
Apium graveolens
Also known as: Apium graveolens
A biennial herb in the carrot family (Apiaceae), native to the Mediterranean and parts of Asia. Three principal cultivar forms from one species: stalk celery (the familiar grocery-store celery), celeriac (the swollen-rooted variety used in European soups and salads), and leaf celery (a herb form). One of the three vegetables in the French *mirepoix* aromatic base (alongside [[onion]] and [[carrot]]) and the American Cajun *holy trinity* (with onion and bell pepper). Roman and Greek tradition used celery seeds medicinally and ornamentally — winners of the Nemean and Isthmian Games wore wild-celery wreaths.
Scientific
Apium graveolens (family Apiaceae) is in the same family as [[carrot]], [[parsley]], [[fennel]], [[dill]], and [[cilantro]]. Three principal cultivar groups:
- Stalk celery (A. graveolens var. dulce) — the familiar grocery-store celery; eaten raw or cooked
- Celeriac / celery root (A. graveolens var. rapaceum) — swollen taproot; foundational to French céleri rémoulade, German Sellerie, Polish and Eastern European soups
- Leaf celery (A. graveolens var. secalinum) — non-bulbing herbal form; used like an herb across Italian and Chinese cooking
The plant contains apigenin and other flavonoids of pharmacological interest. The aromatic compounds — including 3-n-butylphthalide and several related phthalides — are the cause of celery’s distinctive smell and probably the basis for traditional Chinese and Mediterranean medicinal uses for hypertension.
Cultural
Greek and Roman traditions used celery as an athletic-victory wreath plant — winners of the Nemean and Isthmian Games wore celery wreaths (a parallel to the Olympic and Pythian laurel wreaths). The species was also a funerary plant in Greek tradition.
The modern stalk-celery cultivar is largely a 17th-century Italian and French selection from wild celery (A. graveolens var. graveolens), which has been used medicinally for thousands of years across the Mediterranean.
Modern culinary applications: mirepoix (French), soffritto (Italian), holy trinity (Cajun, with onion and [[pepper|bell pepper]] substituting for carrot), the Bloody Mary, peanut butter on celery, and countless soup, stock, and stew foundations.
Global production
Top producers: China, USA, Spain, India, Mexico.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Shares approach with: [[carrot]] · [[parsley]] · [[fennel]] · [[dill]] · [[cilantro]]
- Member of: [[plants]]
Sources
- Wikipedia — Celery
A plant entry in the 0mn1.one [[directory]].
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