Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Apium prostratum

Flowering stem (var. prostratum). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, near Tathra

Flowering stems (var. filiforme). Photographer Don Wood, Eurobodalla National Park south of Narooma

Seeding stem (var. filiforme). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Dhurag National Park near Wisemans Ferry

Common name

Sea celery

Family

Apiaceae

Where found

Coastal cliffs, sand dunes, along streams, and the margins of salt marshes. Coast and ranges.

Notes

Biennial or perennial prostrate herb with stems to 0.70 m long. Stems hairless. Leaves alternating along the stems, 2–41 cm long, compound, with 3-9 leaflets, the leaflets 2–7 mm wide and often 3-lobed. Flowers white, with 5 petals each 0.8–1.5 mm long, in few to many-flowered clusters 3.5–7 cm diameter. Flowers Spring to Summer.

Var. prostratum   Leaflets entire or divided; undivided leaflets and the basal segments of divided leaflets narrower, 6–15 times as long as broad.

Var. filiforme   Leaflets divided, primary segments broader,  2–3 times as long as broad

PlantNET description of species and key to varieties:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Apium~prostratum (accessed 3 January, 2021)