Coriander / Cilantro Plants

Coriandrum sativum

Coriander, cilantro, or Chinese parsely has a unique, edgy taste and with the popularity of Asian - especially Thai and Indian cuisine - more and more home cooks need coriander. That piffling pack from the supermarket just does not cut the mustard anymore. Also known as cilantro, Coriander has a trefoil leaf which is broad and scalloped lower down the plant, with a strong scent. The upper leaves are more pungent. Come the summer it is threatening to flower (not really what you want, but very pretty) with white lacy umbels and then in the autumn it will divulge its third treasure of spicy, aromatic seeds that dry well and are integral to virtually every curry - not to mention carrot and coriander soup. And home grown seeds do taste that much better, with an orangey scent, than anything you can buy. Take a look at the other herbs we sell.

Tender but worth it

Coriander is fast growing and prolific when it is happy. Once the plant has reached 10 cm treat it like a "cut and come again" salad to keep it producing more leaf as opposed to putting its energies into flower production, known as bolting, which is not useful for the cook because it makes the leaves bitter. The main way to prevent bolting is to leave the roots undisturbed. If the tap root becomes disturbed the plant is much more likely to bolt so take extra care when transplanting your coriander plant from its pot to its final position. It thrives in dry conditions, and requires a hot summer to give of its best.

If you are interested in growing Coriander for seed, revel in the froth of lacy flowers that will eventually overtake the plant and wait for autumn to collect your crop of zingy seeds. Keep a watchful eye on them because there is a short window of opportunity between the seed ripening and then falling.

Coriander is one of the main ingredients in Green Thai curry - both the root and foliage - but do not think that coriander is a complicated herb to use: add it to salads, include it in pineapple or mango salsas to eat with grilled meats, and it always lightens and brightens slightly worthy soups with its energetic taste. Grow coriander in your herb garden, but as with all herbs, it is worth keeping a pot close to the kitchen so that it is never too much trouble to go and pick it. As with most herbs if you grow it in a pot, then make sure there is plenty of drainage because coriander hates having its feet wet.

Coriander Features

• Height: 60 cm
• Spread: 30 cm
• Colour: green, deeply cut foliage, white, lacy flowers, brown, spicy seeds in autumn
• Flowers: June to September
• Uses: culinary, herb garden
• Spacing: 25 cm
• Scent: aromatic - essential for Asian food
• Habit: upright
• Life: tender

Coriander lore

The name cilantro comes from the Spanish because of its use in Mexican cuisine as well. It was taken to America in 1670, and was cultivated from 2000 BC in Greece. The manna from heaven in the Old Testament is described as being like coriander seeds (presumably in shape only). For this reason, it is still included as one of the traditional bitter herbs to be eaten at Passover. The Greeks gave it its name because they considered coriander to smell of bed bugs or Koris, and it was brought to Northern Europe by the Romans who combined it with vinegar and cumin and rubbed it into meat to preserve it. Most people perceive coriander as having a citrussy, refreshing taste, but a few people lack the coriander appreciation taste bud gene and find that it tastes more like soap.

Once planted, pick the leaves frequently and keep the soil well watered to prevent the plants bolting. Few pests will bother such an aromatic herb, the exception being greenfly. The solution to this being a spray with liquid horticultural soap.