Sea celery (tūtae kōau)

Apium prostratum

The wild celery Captain Cook's crew ate to keep scurvy off; salty, strong and happy in sand.

Type: herb or perennial · perennial vegetables, greens and herbs
Hardiness: zones 8 to 11
Light: full sun to part shade
Size: about 1 ft tall, 2 ft wide
Harvest: year-round
From: Coasts of Aotearoa New Zealand and southern Australia
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.

Good for: food.

Native to: Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia. Hardy in zones 8 to 11.

The story

Sea celery grows just above the tide line around New Zealand and southern Australia. In 1769 Captain Cook had boatloads gathered and boiled into the crew's breakfast, and it helped keep the Endeavour free of scurvy.

Planting

Sun or part shade and moist, sandy soil. It takes salt spray.

Growing

Keep it watered for tender leaves. It sprawls and self-sows.

Harvest and use

Use the leaves and stems as you would celery leaf or parsley: in soups, with fish, in stock. The flavor is stronger and saltier.

What to watch for

It toughens in dry soil. Slugs.

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More perennial vegetables, greens and herbs

General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home