wild celery
• noun
An aromatic biennial plant of the parsley family (Apium graveolens), native to coastal salt marshes and wetlands across Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, bearing pinnate leaves and flat-topped umbels of tiny greenish-white flowers; it is the wild ancestor of cultivated garden celery and celeriac.
"The herbalist gathered seeds from the wild celery growing along the edges of the brackish marsh."
North American A submerged freshwater aquatic plant (Vallisneria americana) of the frog's-bit family, native to lakes and slow-moving rivers across North America, characterized by long, ribbon-like leaves and spiraling flower stalks that provide vital forage for diving ducks and other waterfowl.
"Canvasback ducks dive into the shallow bays every autumn to feed on the tubers of wild celery."
The bitter, pungent stalks, leaves, and seeds of the uncultivated celery plant (Apium graveolens), used in culinary dishes as a potent herb or flavoring seasoning and historically utilized in traditional medicine.
"Because wild celery has a much stronger and more bitter flavor than grocery store stalks, only a few chopped leaves are needed to season the broth."
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