Standardized Common
Name: Celery
Family: Apiaceae
(Umbelliferae)
Taxonomy: Apium
includes about two dozen species, mainly South American. Apium graveolens
is native to Europe and is widely cultivated.
Description: Biennial herb,
30–100 cm high. Leaves basal and cauline, pinnately compound with 5–7 leaflets
or 3 in upper part of plant; leaflets 1–5 cm long, petiolulate,
deltoid-rhomboid to rhomboid, usually shallowly lobed; bases of largest
leaflets broad and deltoid, bases of smaller leaflets cuneate; margins coarsely
serrate to crenate. Inflorescences compound umbels, numerous, borne opposite
leaves, nearly sessile, with 4–12 unequal rays, without bracts; umbellets to
20–flowered, without bracteoles; flowers small, white. Fruit a schizocarp of 2
mericarps; mericarps 1–2 mm long, ovoid, laterally compressed, constricted at
commissure, vallecular vittae 1(–3).
Parts
in Commerce:
Fruits (“Seed”)
Identification: See appendix for
explanation of the technical terms pertaining to umbel fruits.
- Schizocarp,
often separating into individual mericarps
- Mericarps 1–2 mm
long
- Mericarps ovoid
to broadly ovoid, about half as broad as long
- Somewhat
laterally compressed; breadth and thickness of mericarp nearly equal
- Commissure constricted,
so flat commissural face is not widest point of mericarp; weakly
pentagonal in cross-section
- Ribs
yellowish-brown, valleculae greenish-brown to brown
- Ribs threadlike,
narrow, at least as high as broad
- Vittae 1(–3) per
vallecula, sometimes visible in dried fruit but not resembling secondary
ridges
- Calyx teeth
absent
- Odor aromatic,
similar to vegetable celery
- Taste aromatic,
similar to vegetable celery
Adulterants: Fruits of A.
graveolens may be confused with those of Ammi majus L. (Bishop’s
Weed) and Ammi visnaga (L.) Lam. (Khella), both of which are also of
commercial value. These differ from Apium in several features:
- 1.5–2(–3) mm
long, breadth and thickness usually less than half of length
- Color of
valleculae brown or greenish-brown to dark brown in A. majus or
nearly black in A. visnaga
- Vittae always 1
per vallecula, often prominent, in A. majus resembling secondary
ridges
- Calyx teeth
sometimes present but minute, often lost
- Ribs of A.
majus narrow, with height exceeding breadth; ribs of A. visnaga
broader and shallower, with a delicate groove or darker line in the center
(with a hollow space running longitudinally along rib, not present in A.
majus)
- Odor aromatic
- Taste hot, acrid
or bitter
References:
Arenas Posadas JA, García Martín F. Atlas
carpólogico y corológico de la subfamilia Apioideae Drude (Umbelliferae)
en España peninsular y Baleares. Ruizia. 1993;12:1–245.
Cappellettii EM. Differential microcharacters of
epicarp surfaces of Ammi visnaga and Ammi majus. Planta Med.
1979;37:143–150.
Tutin TG. Apium. In: Tutin TG, Heywood VH, Burges NA, et al., eds. Flora Europaea. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1968:351–352.
Tutin TG. Umbellifers of the British Isles.
London: Botanical Society of the British Isles; 1980. B.S.B.I. Handbook No. 2.
Wichtl M, ed. Herbal Drugs and
Phytopharmaceuticals, 3rd English
ed. Stuttgart: medpharm Scientific Publishers and Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press;
2004:34–37 and 51–53.
Figure 6: a, fruit of Apium graveolens; b, Ammi majus; c, Ammi
visnaga.