The coriander (Coriandum sativum) is a plant belonging to the botanical family of Apiaceae. It is native to the countries bordering the Mediterranean, but also in the East it is widely used, especially in place of parsleyso it is sometimes also referred to as Chinese parsley. The Iberian nomenclature is also famous cilantro.
However, whatever you prefer to call it, it is a plant to be counted among the spices, even if the leaves do not have a pleasant aroma. The part used, in fact, are the dried seeds. THE coriander seeds they are rich in beneficial properties and therefore are used not only in the kitchen, but also in herbal medicine
Furthermore, the plant is quite rustic and easy to grow in the garden starting from sowing.

In this article we therefore discover all the secrets to sow coriander correctly, how to take care of the cultivation, and what are its beneficial properties.

Botanical characteristics of coriander

Coriander plant
The coriander plant has an annual cycle, this means that it must be re-sown every year. It is herbaceous, with a thin and not very branched tap root. The stem can reach a height of 60 cm and is branched in the upper part.

Leaves

The basal leaves have a long petiole and some variability in shape. They can be whole with the margin just engraved, divided into 3 toothed leaflets or pinnate with fan-shaped lobes that narrow into a wedge at the base.
The leaves present on the upper part of the stem are instead bi or tripennatosette, with linear lobes, inserted alternately on the stem with an increasingly shorter petiole. The petiole widens at the base in an amplessic sheath. They are edible, but they do not have a particularly pleasant taste, so they are hardly used in our culinary tradition as an aromatic herb.

Flowers

The inflorescence of the coriander plant is typical of apiacea and is similar in appearance to that of fennelof the cumin anddill. It is made up of umbrellas made up of 5-10 peduncles, each of which bears from 4 to 12 flowers. The petals are white or fleshy pink, small in the internal flowers, much larger (and sometimes partially divided in two) in the petals located at the periphery of the inflorescence.
Flowering is summer.

Coriander seeds

Coriander seeds
From the flowers develop the fruits, or the precious coriander seeds. The infructescence has physical properties well defined: it is made up of 2 plano-convex achenes which, joined together, form a sub-spherical fruit with thin ribs that go from the upper to the lower pole.

Where can coriander be grown?

Coriander, having an annual cycle, can be grown almost anywhere. It is a plant of Mediterranean origin, so this is by far its favorite range. Therefore, although much more widespread in the East, the coriander plant cannot be considered exotic.

Which exposure does the plant prefer?

To get medium to large sized coriander seeds that are ripe at the right point, the best exposure for the plant is in full sun. However, it also grows well in partially shaded areas.

What is the ideal soil in which to sow coriander?

The soil for cultivating the coriander plant should be soft and well drained, with a good amount of organic matter that can be obtained by adding compost (link) before sowing operations.

How coriander is sown

The best way to sow coriander in your garden is there direct sowing. The ideal time to do this is the beginning of spring and until the month of May. It’s easy find the seeds in specialized shops.
Sowing can be carried out by broadcasting or in regular rows, the important thing is that the seedbed is refined in order to favor budding. The seed should be buried about 1 cm deep, for example using a rake. Once sown, the soil must always be kept well moist, until the sprouts emerge.
At sprouting it is necessary to thin out, keeping a sprout every 5/10 cm.
Similar techniques can be used to sow coriander in pots.

The cultivation of coriander

Irrigation

During the crop cycle, irrigation of the plant is only necessary in particularly dry periods, therefore in the absence of precipitation. Do not overdo the wetting, in order to avoid water stagnation problems.

Cleaning from weeds

The only crop care that the coriander plant needs is weed cleaning. There weeding it can be done manually or with a small hoe. To avoid this laborious operation, you can opt for the natural mulch with strawwhich will also allow us to have the earth more humid and therefore irrigate less frequently.

When to harvest coriander seeds

Coriander is harvested for seeds, so it is necessary to wait for the end of flowering, which occurs in summer. The umbels containing the seeds must be cut together with the peduncle, after which, they are gathered in bunches and hung in a ventilated and shaded place.
When they are well dried, the bunches are beaten on a sheet of paper, in order to make the seeds fall. These keep well in glass jars.

Properties and uses of coriander

Coriander seeds contain valuable active ingredients, essential oils such as linalool and pinene, mucilage and tannins. They have flavoring, aperitif, digestive, carminative, antispasmodic and antiseptic properties. Furthermore, if properly dried, they have a fresh and pleasant aroma and are used in numerous recipes, especially in oriental dishes and in the famous curry. They are also used in the preparation of digestive liqueurs with herbs and in vermouth.
In the pharmaceutical sector, the particular aromatic characteristics of this plant allow to correct the taste and smell of some medicines, especially laxatives.
Coriander and its seeds are also used for phytotherapeutic purposes in infusion or tincture, to promote digestive processes, eliminate stomach cramps, colitis and, in general, all problems related to poor digestion.

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Philip Owell

Professional blogger, here to bring you new and interesting content every time you visit our blog.