Apium graveolens
Celery, Celery
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Family: Apiaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Apium graveolens (Celery) is a non-native California herb in the Apiaceae family, recognized by key differences are stem rooting habit and leaflet shape.
Celery is a naturalized perennial found in wet places throughout California at elevations generally below 1,000 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces small white flowers in delicate umbels with 7 to 16 rays. Growing 50 to 150 centimeters tall with upright stems that do not root at the nodes, it develops a robust, branching structure. Its compound leaves feature 2 to 4 leaflets, each 2 to 4.5 centimeters long, with ovate to rounded shapes often showing slight lobing. The fruit is small, approximately 1.5 to 2 millimeters in diameter, with an elliptical to nearly round shape.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; key differences are stem rooting habit and leaflet shape
Habitat and range
Habitat: Wet places
Elevation: generally < 1000 m
California counties: Ventura, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Kern, Santa Clara, Merced, Sonoma, Monterey, Mono, Inyo, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Contra Costa, Butte, Solano, Tuolumne, Napa, Alameda, Humboldt, San Francisco, Imperial
Outside California: temperate zones worldwide, native to Eurasia
Bloom period
Apium graveolens blooms May-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Oenanthe: Apium fruits are smooth without a crown; Oenanthe fruits are corky with a persistent crown.; vs Petroselinum: Apium grows in wet, marshy places; Petroselinum prefers drier disturbed areas and roadsides.; vs Conium: Conium has purple-spotted stems and musty odor; Apium has green unspotted stems.; vs Torilis: Torilis fruits are covered with hooked bristles; Apium fruits are smooth or ribbed.; vs Nasturtium: Nasturtium is in the mustard family with 4-petaled flowers; Apium has 5-petaled carrot-family flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Apium graveolens native to California?
No. Apium graveolens is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Apium graveolens bloom?
Apium graveolens blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Apium graveolens grow?
Apium graveolens occurs in Ventura, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Kern and other counties, at elevations of generally < 1000 m.
What plant family does Apium graveolens belong to?
Apium graveolens is in the Apiaceae family, genus Apium.
What habitat does Apium graveolens grow in?
Apium graveolens grows in Wet places.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.