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Chinese Parsley

Coriandrum sativum (kor-ee-AN-drum sah-TEE-vum)

Family: Apiaceae Non-native Herbaceous (1-3 ft)

Cilantro is a culinary herb that grows best in cool climates in spring and fall. It prefers medium moist well-drained soil in full sun to light shade. It bolts easily in hotter climates. It can become weedy outside of cultivation. The leaves and stems are used to flavor various dishes. The mature seeds are called coriander and are used for flavoring. This plant serves as a host to Swallow-tailed butterflies ( Papilio machaon ). Click here to see a calendar of planting schedules, time-to-harvest, and recommended spacing in your edible garden. VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 48 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Annual; Cool Season Vegetable; Edible; Herb
Life cycle
Annual
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately); Simple
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaf value
Edible
Leaf size
< 1 inch long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Upper leaves are simple and fernlike and the lower leaves are broadly lobed, compound and resemble parsley
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Edible; Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Umbel
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
White to pink flowers in clusters of 2 inches across.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Coriander seeds ripen in round, yellow-brown pod
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Western Mediterranean, Southern Europe, Western Asia
Wildlife value
Larval host plant to swallow-tailed butterflies
Attracts
Butterflies; Predatory Insects
Play value
Easy to Grow; Wildlife Larval Host
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit; Leaves; Flowers; Seeds; Stems

Edibility

Leaves, stems, flowers and seeds are edible. Leaves/flowers as an herb and seeds (Coriander) as a spice.

Uses (ethnobotany)

Leaf, flowers, stems, seeds are edible. Seeds also used in potpourri and sachets.

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container
Landscape theme
Edible Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#non-toxic for cats #non-toxic for horses #non-toxic for dogs #vhfn-h #vhfn #early childhood #herb garden #th-taste #th-smell #child #children #preschool #early care #easy edibles #cool season herb #butterfly caterpillar host #edible #beneficial insects #microgreens
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Humidity
Propagation
Seed

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.