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Java water-dropwort, also called water celery or by its Korean name, minari, is an Asian wetland herb grown as a vegetable. In the US it has escaped into the wild in several states and is regulated as an invasive plant in places like Wisconsin, where it can form dense mats along streams and ponds.

Appearance

Growth form
A perennial herb 1–3 ft (30–90 cm) tall with hollow, ridged stems. It spreads by runners, and broken stem pieces can root again at the nodes.
Leaves
Alternate, twice-divided leaves up to 12 in (30 cm) long, with toothed, lance- to egg-shaped leaflets. They smell pleasantly aromatic.
Flowers
Tiny white five-petaled flowers in flat or domed 1–2 in (2.5–5 cm) across.
Flowering time
In Minnesota, August to October.

Look-alikes

water parsleyOenanthe sarmentosa

A native relative of the West Coast. It may have slightly wider bracts under the small flower clusters and denser flower heads, but these differences are not always reliable.

Why they get mixed upSame genus, same wet habitats, and very similar leaves and white umbels.

GoutweedAegopodium podagraria

Goutweed leaflets come in groups of three, and its flower clusters have no small bracts underneath.

Why they get mixed upBoth are spreading, white-flowered plants in the carrot family with divided leaves.

Where it lives

Typical habitats
  • Stream banks
  • Marshes
  • Floodplains
  • Pond edges
Range
Native across temperate and tropical Asia and to Queensland, Australia. In the US it has escaped in several states, including Maryland, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Preferred conditions
Grows in wet soil or shallow water in sun to part shade.
Flowering

Flowers Aug–Oct

Flowers Aug–Oct

Growing it

Propagation
Spreads mostly by runners and stem fragments rather than by seed.

Name and classification

Varieties and forms
'Flamingo' is a popular ornamental cultivar with leaves edged in pink and cream.

Conservation

IUCN Red List
LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
Status
Several US states treat it as an invasive plant. Wisconsin lists it as a Prohibited species.

Culture and stories

Culture and stories
  • It is eaten across Asia: in Korea as seasoned greens and in soups, and long ago as a main ingredient in kimchi before cabbage took over; in Japan as seri in the New Year's seven-herb rice porridge.
  • The 2020 film Minari, about a Korean immigrant family in the US, is named after this plant.

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Java Water-dropwort (Oenanthe javanica) — identification, habitat & look-alikes | Moeyo