Coriandrum sativum Seeds | Cilantro
LATIN NAME: Coriandrum sativum
COMMON NAME: Cilantro
Plant Profile
Coriandrum sativum, commonly known as Cilantro, is a fast-growing, annual in the carrot family. Cilantro presses fresh, green leaves through cool weeks, the whole clump standing in the bright, crisp look of the spring kitchen garden. It is a plant of open, sunny, light, moist, well-drained ground. While it flowers, it feeds a quiet procession of bees and hoverflies. For the gardener, the sum of these traits is a plant that is easy to live with.
Science & Biotechnology
Like other members of the carrot family, Coriandrum sativum draws steady attention from botanists and plant breeders, who value the genus both as a subject of research and as a source of garden-worthy material. Nothing exotic is required: standard seed-sowing practice, done carefully, is enough.
Uses & Benefits
Cilantro brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. Cilantro is a bright, useful plant of spring kitchen garden and study collection. It is a bright, useful plant of open, sunny, light, moist, well-drained garden. Cilantro seeds are happy in a rich, leafy soil kept moist and cool. A plant that has settled in will get along with only routine care.
Coriander is two spices in one, leaf and seed, and the seed is a classical digestive carminative across European and Asian medicine; linalool from the seed oil is studied for calming and antimicrobial activity.
Growing from Seed
Cilantro grows readily from seed. Broadcast the seed thinly over a fine, free-draining compost, sieve a little more compost on top, and water with a fine rose. Move strong seedlings into individual pots, keep them in good light, and set them out when the weather and their size agree.
Our Take
Part of this plant’s appeal is the long practical history summarized above. Its role in herbal practice, noted above, adds depth to an already garden-worthy plant. Moisture matters most while plants are young; established plants cope with far more.
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