'Chinese Pink' Celery

Apium graveolens

Origin: Northern China

Improvement status: Cultivar

Seeds per packet: ~400

Germination tested 10/2024: 92%

Life cycle: Annual

From our seed source, Wild Garden Seeds' Frank Morton: "I need to give credit to Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds for bringing this stunning celery from China into US commerce. I have grown every heirloom red or pink variety descended from European-type celery, but I have never seen bubble-gum pink as expressed in this Asian type. This is pink that pops! It also retains its color in light cooking unlike many red vegetables. The flavor is strong, like other red and Asian celery, not something you would eat like our common green varieties. Bolts quickly and unevenly, should be planted close and eaten young somewhat like cilantro, with new sowings periodically. Stronger germination and faster growth than European types. The variation in bolting times indicates good potential for improved selections better adapted to North American conditions. Some plants have a perennial habit, resprouting new offshoots after cutting back. I wish I had bred something this stunning."