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According to Cottam (1939), the scientific name of the canvasback derives from association with the American wildcelery plant. McAtee (1917) wrote about the value of this plant as a waterfowl food.

"The names wildcelery and canvasback duck have been closely associated in the annals of American sport. To a certain extent this association is justified, since the canvasback evidently is very fond of the subterranean propagating buds of this plant. However, the assertion that the flavor of the canvasback is superior to that of any other duck and that this depends on a diet of wildcelery is not proved, to say the least. The scaups, or bluebills, and the redhead also are very fond of wildcelery, and are fully as capable of getting the delicious buds as is the canvasback. Several other ducks get more or less of this food, the writer finding that even the scoters on a Wisconsin lake in fall lived almost exclusively on it for the time. All parts of the plant are eaten by ducks, but the tender winter buds and rootstocks are relished by most. Wildcelery buds can usually be obtained only by the diving ducks, as the bluebills, redhead, canvasback, and scoters. The nondiving species, as the mallard, black duck, baldpate and the geese, get an occasional bud, but more often they feed upon the leaves. Wild fowl not thus far specifically mentioned which also feed upon wildcelery include wood ducks, pintail, ruddy duck, buffle-head, whistler, green-winged and blue-winged teals, greater and lesser scaups or bluebills, white-winged and surf scoters, and whistling swan."