CELERY (Apium graveolens), a biennial plant (f am. Umbel liferae) which, in its wild state, occurs in England by the sides of ditches and in marshy places, especially near the sea, producing a furrowed stalk and compound leaves with wedge-shaped leaflets, the whole plant having a coarse, rank taste and a peculiar smell. It is also widely distributed in the north temperate region of the Old World. By cultivation and blanching the stalks lose their acrid qualities and assume the mild sweetish aromatic taste peculiar to celery as a salad plant. A large number of varieties are cultivated by gardeners, which are ranged under two classes, white and red,— the white varieties being generally the best flavoured and most crisp and tender. Both blanched and green it is stewed and used in soups. In the south of Europe celery is much used in its natural condition.
Celeriac, or turnip-rooted celery (Apium graveolens var. rapa ceum), is a variety cultivated more on account of its roots than for the stalks, although both are edible and are used for salads and in soups. It is chiefly grown in the north of Europe.