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Celery
Habit (mature) · Forest & Kim Starr / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0
Limited coverage
Celery
Apium graveolens var. dulce
A cool-season biennial vegetable in the carrot family (Apiaceae), grown as an annual for its crisp, edible ribbed leaf stalks. Apium graveolens is native to temperate Mediterranean Europe, Asia, and Africa — not North America. It demands rich, consistently moist soil and steady cool temperatures (60-75°F); heat and drought turn the stalks stringy and bitter, which is why it is one of the more finicky garden vegetables.
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: narrow (31/100)
Edible
Light
Full sun
Water
Consistent moisture
Mature size
24-30" tall · 13" apart
Hardy in zones
3a-6b
brutally cold to cold winters
Summer heat range
Cool-Mild
cool to mild summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.
Native in Illinois
No
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A documented larval host for the Black swallowtail — caterpillars feed on its foliage before becoming the next generation.
Wildlife relationships
Cold hardiness
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Marginal
2050
Zone 7b
Plotwright
Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)
Won't grow here
In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.
⚠→✕
Marginal today, but likely out of range by 2050.
Heat tolerance
Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/celery
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited18 source-backed.
Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder
Botanical research database
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes
Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC BY 3.0
Backs 1 field
Image
Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.
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