| Wild celery | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Hydrocharitaceae |
| Genus: | Vallisneria |
| Species: | V. americana |
| Binomial name | |
| Vallisneria americana Michx. |
|
Wild celery (Vallisneria americana) is a plant in the family Hydrocharitaceae (the "tape-grasses"). Contrary to the implications of its name, wild celery bears little to no resemblance to the celery used as a vegetable. Wild celery grows under water and is consumed by various animals, including the canvasback. The plants themselves are long, limp, flat, and have a green mid-ridge. Animals may eat the entire plant (both the leaves and the underground tubers).
Despite its name, it is not restricted to the Americas. It occurs naturally in Iraq, China, Japan, Korea, India, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Australia, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Venezuela.[1]