1974-75 year it looked comparable to 'LaChipper' but fell far White skin. Plants medium to large in size, with upright short during the 1977-78 season. habit. Specific gravity in medium high range. Good chipper. 'Atlantic' and 'LaChipper' had the best chipping quality Preferred when grown specifically for chipping. Has early ratings of the cultivars in 1976 (Table 3). 'Norchip' and sprouting ability. 'Hudson' are similar in their chip color and after 28 days 'LaChipper*—Tubers round to slightly oblong with of secondary storage at 72 F following one month at 45 F shallow eyes. Creamy white skin. Specific gravity equal to storage, they have equivalent chip color to 'LaRouge' and 'Norchip.' Good chipper. Yields usually less than 'Norchip,' stored at 70 F only. 'LaRouge' was the only cultivar which but has higher preference in the fresh market. did not reach an acceptable (5) chip color rating follow 'Hudson'—Tubers large, white, spherical with shallow ing a month at 45 F storage and 28 days of 72 F storage. eyes. Plants large, and emerge quickly after planting. Excel 'Atlantic' had the best chipping color and a high lent yielder. Specific gravity medium and good chipper. Has specific gravity along with high yields making it a desirable been sold for fresh market with good acceptance. potato for processing as well as for fresh use. 'Atlantic/ how 'Atlantic'—Tubers large, white, blockey to spherical with ever, does not tolerate the "wetter" fields in the county as netted skin and shallow eyes. Plants medium to large. Up well as do other cultivars. right growth habit. Medium to late maturity. Excellent Two lines from North Dakota State University, yielder. High specific gravity. Very good chipper. ND8888-2 and ND88891-3 seen during 1977-78 looked very promising. Seed stock has been made available for small Literature Cited grower trials in 1978-79. 1. Anonymous, 1976. Notice to potato seed growers of the release of 'Atlantic,' a new potato variety combining high quality, pest Recommended Cultivars for Dade County resistance, and wide adaptation. American Potato J. 53:428-430. 2. 1978. Notice to potato seed growers of the release of 'LaRouge'—Tubers with red skin, uniform in size with 'Belchip/ a new potato variety combining high quality, pest re deep eyes. Plants medium in size and spreading. Fairly low sistance, and wide adaptation. American Potato J. 55:537. specific gravity. Primary cultivar grown in Dade County 3. Bryan, H. H. and N. L. Durre, 1968. White potatoes for marl soils in Dade County. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 81:159-163. for fresh market. Has been sold for chipping in fresh state. 4. Shumaker, J. R. et. al. 1977. 'Atlantic': A new potato cultivar for 'Norchip'—Tubers round to oblong with deep eyes. north Florida. Proc, Fla. State Hort, Soc. 90:370-373, Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 91: 301-305. 1978. TRIAL OF WATER CELERY AS AN AQUATIC FLAVORING HERB FOR EVERGLADES FARMLANDS1 Julia F. Morton this location, an especial effort was made to include in Morton Collectanea, University of Miami, these experiments some species which might be relatively Coral Gables, FL 33124 hardy. Selected as especially promising in this respect was the George H. Snyder Oriental herb Oenanthe javanica DC. (O. stolonifera Wall IFAS Agricultural Research and Education Center, ex DC; O. laciniata Zoll.), of the family Umbelliferae; University of Florida, known in English as water celery or water dropwort; in Belle Glade, FL 33430 Japanese, as seri; in Chinese, as sui-kan or shui ch'in ts'ai; in Thai, as pak chi lawm; in Laotian as phak sa, or phak Additional index words. Oenanthe javanica; seri; water si sang; in Vietnamese, as rau com, rau can tran, or ran can dropwort. ong; in Javanese, pampoeng, or pampung; in Malay, as shelum. The local name in New Guinea is damoe. It should Abstract. Water celery (Oenanthe javanica DC, syn. O. be noted that some Japanese in Hawaii, not born in Japan, stolonifera Wall.) is one of the 7 principal springtime wild apply the name seri to watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. herbs of Japan. It is commonly used as flavoring in soup, Br.). Others call seri "Japanese watercress." salads and rice dishes, and as filling for omelettes and meat- This is a variable, perennial herb (Fig. 1), with creep loaf in Japan, China, Hong Kong, India, southeast Asia, ing, fleshy, pale pinkish-white or red stolons and tufts of Malaysia, New Guinea and Hawaii. Vegetative propagating fibrous, threadlike, white rootlets (Fig. 2) at the base of material, obtained from Hawaii in November 1977, has erect, slender, hollow, green stems 4 in. to 5 ft. (10 to 150 multiplied vigorously in tanks at the Agricultural Research cm.) high. The deep-green leaves, having an odor like fresh and Education Center, Belle Glade. Market acceptability has tops of the carrot ( Daucus carota L. var. sativus Hoffm.), been established as well as prospects of an active demand are alternate, 2 to 12 in. (5 to 30 cm.) long and 2 to 6 in. not only by Oriental food fanciers but by all who enjoy (5 to 15 cm.) wide, on sheathed petioles 1 to 6 in. (2.5 to exotic herbs. The possible presence of unusual chemicals 15 cm.) long; once- or twice-pinnate; the leaflets ovate to is being investigated. ovate-oblong, pointed at the apex, blunt or rounded at the base; deeply lobed or merely toothed; 14 to 2% in. (0.6 to Small-scale trials of various aquatic vegetables were 7 cm.) long; 14 to H/2 in. (0.6 to 3.8 cm.) wide; with many initiated at the IFAS, University of Florida, Agricultural conspicuous veins. Research and Education Center, Belle Glade, in mid-1976 Flowers are fragrant, tiny, white, 5-petaled, with 5 (14). In view of the likelihood of brief periods of frost at stamens and yellowish-brown anthers; numerous, in a terminal or axillary, compound umbel of 10 to 25 blooms iFlorida Agricultural Experiment Stations Journal Series No. 1559. on a grooved, erect stalk 1% to 10 in. (S.2 to 25 cm.) long. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 91: 1978. 301 the Malay Archipelago, in northern India and Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam; in mainland China, Manchuria, Siberia, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, New Guinea and Queensland, Australia. In Japan and Java, it is gathered from the wild for sale and also cultivated. It is cultivated in Sumatra, Malaya, southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Hawaii (1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 16, 20, 22, 27). In Japan, it is one of the 7 principal springtime wild vegetables but its wilderness habitats are shrinking around the larger cities (23). Culinary Uses In Southeast Asia, the tops are eaten raw in salads and also used as garnish like parsley (Petroselinum crispum Nyman). In China, Java, Sumatra and Malaya, the young stems and leaves are eaten, raw or steamed, with rice (17), or are boiled and chopped as vegetable greens (2, 18, 24, 26). The Japanese customarily serve greens such as water celery and watercress with a bowl of piquant sauce called si-miso: miso (from fermented soybeans), rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Each bite of greens, picked up with chop sticks, is dipped into the sauce (Fig. 3). Water celery is de licious when eaten in this fashion. Sometimes a sesame seed dressing (1/3 cup roasted, ground, white sesame seeds, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon shoyn, a pinch of salt and ajinomoto) is mixed with cooked, chilled Fig. 1. Oenanthe javanica is a perennial herb with creeping stolons water celery just before serving (29). and long, threadlike, white rootlets. Photo by Julia Morton The fruit is cylindrical-oblong, ribbed, 0.07 to 0.125 in. (2 to 3.5 mm.) long, and 0.039 to 0.078 in. (1 to 2 mm.) wide. Habitat and Distribution The plant grows wild in freshwater marshes, swampy fields, on edges of pools and along ditches, canals and streams, from 16 to 5,904 or 7,216 ft. (5 to 1,800 or 2,200 m.) elevation, especially above 1,968 ft. (600 m.), throughout Fig. 3. Cooked, chopped water celery greens, to be picked up with chopsticks and dipped into su*miso, a piquant sauce; also water celery omelette. Courtesy D. and J. Murasaki. Photo by Julia Morton In China, the tops are eaten fresh or pickled (21). In Hawaii, this herb is favored primarily by people of Japan ese ancestry. The tops, when 6 to 10 in. (15 to 25 cm.) high, are pulled up with attached fibrous rootlets, tied in bundles 5 to 6 in. (12.5 to 15 cm.) thick and marketed. The greens are put into boiling water for one minute, drained and cooled, then cut into 2-in. (5-cm.) lengths and added Fig. 2. Water celery stems with rootlets and fleshy stolons. to chicken or fish soup—7 pieces to each serving of soup (6). Photo by Julia Morton The tops make a savory filling for a firm omelette (Fig. 3) 302 Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 91; 1978. such as would be taken on a picnic in Japan because it can be sliced (15). Water celery, used as stuffing, greatly en hances meatloaf. Dr. Marjorie Grant Whiting, of Washing ton, D.C., has sent to us this recipe which she obtained from Mrs. Y. Sagawa in Honolulu: Seri no nikumaki 2 lbs. ground beef (lean) i/2 teaspoon sugar 1 bunch seri 14 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon fresh ginger 1 tablespoon shoyu juice 1 tablespoon sake 2 eggs 1 tablespoon cornstarch Parboil the seri; squeeze out water; set aside.