coriander

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• cilantro
• coriander
• Chinese parsley
• Chinese-parsley

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Coriandrum sativum var. vulgare
• Coriandrum majus
• Sium coriandrum
• Coriandrum melphitense
• Coriandropsis syriaca
• Coriandrum globosum
• Coriandrum sativum var. afghanicum
• Coriandrum sativum var. africanum
• Coriandrum sativum var. anatolicum
• Coriandrum sativum var. arabicum
• Coriandrum sativum subsp. asiaticum
• Coriandrum sativum var. asiaticum
• Coriandrum sativum subsp. indicum
• Coriandrum sativum var. indicum
• Coriandrum sativum var. microcarpum
• Coriandrum sativum var. pygmaeum
• Coriandrum sativum subsp. vavilovii
• Coriandrum sativum var. vavilovii
• Bifora loureiroi

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Apiales, it is classified under the family Apiaceae. Finally, its specific taxonomic designation is within the genus Coriandrum, identifying it as Coriandrum sativum.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant, known as Coriandrum sativum, maintains a notable presence across several regions of Northern Europe. Specifically, it can be found growing within the borders of Denmark. Its distribution also extends to the Scandinavian territories of Finland and Norway. Furthermore, the species is well-established in the British Isles, appearing in both Great Britain and Ireland. Together, these locations highlight the plant's ability to adapt to the northern European climate.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Coriandrum sativum is characterized by a broad altitudinal adaptability, allowing it to thrive across diverse topographical gradients. It is primarily found in lowland habitats, though its ecological niche extends significantly upward into higher altitudes. The species exhibits a vast elevational range, spanning from sea level (0 m AMSL) up to a maximum altitude of 2850 m AMSL. This wide distribution suggests a high degree of environmental plasticity, enabling the plant to colonize various ecosystems ranging from coastal plains to montane regions.

Elevational range max:

2850 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

Lowland

Genetics

The genetics of Coriandrum sativum are characterized by a notable degree of karyotypic variation, which contributes to its complex evolutionary and breeding profile. A significant feature of its genomic structure is the variability observed in its chromosome number, with documented counts including 22, 26, 28, and 30 chromosomes. This chromosomal plasticity suggests a diverse genetic landscape that may influence phenotypic expression, adaptation to various environments, and the stability of essential secondary metabolites. Such fluctuations in the diploid number play a critical role in the plant's cytogenetic makeup, impacting both its reproductive biology and the genetic diversity available for selective breeding in medicinal and culinary applications.

Chromosome number :

22, 26, 28, 30

Life history

The life history of Coriandrum sativum is characterized by an annual lifecycle, meaning the plant completes its entire biological progression—from germination to seed production—within a single growing season. Morphologically, it is classified as a therophyte, a life form defined by plants that survive the unfavorable seasons as ephemeral seeds, avoiding environmental stress by remaining dormant until conditions are optimal for growth. This strategic developmental pattern allows the species to rapidly colonize available habitats, utilizing its status as a therophyte to ensure reproductive success before the onset of seasonal changes.

Life form :

therophyte

Lifecycle :

annual

Morphology

The morphology of Coriandrum sativum is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb and specifically a forb. This terrestrial plant grows in a self-supporting manner, lacking any climbing or parasitic tendencies, as it is classified as an independent organism. The shoot orientation is distinctly erect, supporting a plant height that typically ranges from a minimum of 0.15 m to a maximum of 1 m, with an average height of approximately 0.487 m. As a terrestrial species, it does not exhibit epiphyte or aquatic characteristics, maintaining a consistent herbaceous structure throughout its development.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

1 m

Plant height mean:

0.486666666666667 m

Plant height min:

0.15 m

Shoot orientation :

erect

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Coriandrum sativum is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its metabolic processes and carbon fixation efficiency. As a non-carnivorous species, it relies entirely on soil nutrients and does not exhibit any predatory plant behaviors, nor does it function as a nitrogen fixer. The morphological dimensions of its foliage exhibit significant variability; while the mean leaf length is approximately 0.75 cm, individual leaves can range from a minimum of 0.5 cm to a maximum length of 15 cm. In terms of width, the leaves vary from a minimal 0.05 cm to a maximum of 10 cm, often presenting a linear leaf form. The average leaf size is recorded at 11.6675 cm², and the plant maintains a mean Specific Leaf Area (SLA) of 473.8 cm²/g, reflecting its leaf mass per area and its adaptive strategy for light interception and gas exchange.

Carnivory :

non-carnivorous

Leaf form :

linear

Leaf length max:

15 cm

Leaf length mean:

0.75 cm

Leaf length min:

0.5 cm

Leaf size mean:

11.6675 cm²

Leaf width max:

10 cm

Leaf width min:

0.05 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Specific Leaf Area (SLA) mean:

473.8 cm²/g

Reproduction

The reproduction of Coriandrum sativum is strictly sexual, characterized by bisexual flowers that facilitate the plant's life cycle. The flowering process typically occurs during the summer months, beginning in June and concluding in July. The plant produces white flowers arranged in an umbel inflorescence, with individual flower lengths ranging from a minimum of 0.3 cm to a maximum of 0.4 cm. Pollination is a biotic process driven by an insect pollination syndrome, ensuring the transfer of pollen between flowers. Within these reproductive structures, self-fertilization is present. Following successful fertilization, the plant develops fruits with a mean length of 0.5 cm. The resulting seeds exhibit significant variability in mass, ranging from a minimum of 0.00018 g to a maximum of 0.0171 g, with an average seed mass of approximately 0.01044 g. Each fruit is highly prolific, containing between 101 and 1000 seeds. Dispersal of the seeds is categorized as unspecialized, though it also exhibits anthropochorous tendencies, meaning dispersal is often aided by human activity. No asexual reproduction methods are present in this species.

Dispersal syndrome :

unspecialized

Dispersal syndrome :

anthropochorous

Flower colour :

white

Flower length max:

0.4 cm

Flower length min:

0.3 cm

Flowering time :

Jun

Flowering time :

Jul

Fruit length mean:

0.5 cm

Inflorescence :

umbel

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Reproduction sexual :

bisexual

Seed mass max:

0.0171 g

Seed mass mean:

0.0104433333333333 g

Seed mass min:

0.00018 g

Seeds_per_fruit :

101-1000

Self fertilization :

present

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Coriandrum sativum has 4 reported plant parts identified across 16 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include seed, fruit, leaf, stem.

Seed

1. Journal of plant research
2. Frontiers in pharmacology
3. Toxicology research
4. Phytotherapy research : PTR
5. Pharmaceutical biology

Fruit

1. Planta medica
2. Tissue & cell
3. International journal of environmental health research

Leaf

1. Journal of plant research
2. Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands)

Stem

1. Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands)

Chemicals

Coriandrum sativum has 289 reported phytochemicals identified across 16 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Linalool, Flavonoids, GERANYL ACETATE, quercetin, CHLOROGENIC ACID.

Linalool

1. Dr. Duke
2. PloS one
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Genes
5. Bioresource technology

Flavonoids

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. International journal of environmental health research
3. In silico pharmacology
4. Parasites & vectors
5. Scientific reports

GERANYL ACETATE

1. Dr. Duke
2. Current microbiology
3. Frontiers in molecular biosciences
4. Food science & nutrition
5. Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics

quercetin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
3. Scientific reports
4. Artificial cells, nanomedicine, and biotechnology

CHLOROGENIC ACID

1. Dr. Duke
2. In silico pharmacology
3. Scientific reports

PETROSELINIC ACID

1. Dr. Duke
2. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
3. ACS omega

RUTIN

1. Dr. Duke
2. In silico pharmacology
3. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

ascorbic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. BMC plant biology
3. Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands)

n-Decanal

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
3. ACS omega

polyphenols

1. In silico pharmacology
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Interdisciplinary toxicology

Activities

Coriandrum sativum has 807 reported activities identified across 16 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Analgesic, Antibacterial, Anticancer, Diuretic.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Environmental toxicology
3. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity
4. International journal of environmental health research
5. PloS one

Analgesic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Environmental toxicology
3. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
4. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. PloS one
3. Food chemistry
4. Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Environmental toxicology
3. Food chemistry
4. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Diuretic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of integrative medicine
3. Pakistan journal of biological sciences : PJBS
4. Interdisciplinary toxicology

Antidiabetic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of integrative medicine
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Antihypertensive

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of integrative medicine
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Antimicrobial

1. Journal of integrative medicine
2. Scientific reports
3. Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics

Antiarrhythmic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Antitumor

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of integrative medicine

Conditions

Coriandrum sativum has 86 reported investigations on conditions identified across 16 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include inflammation, cancer, oxidative stress, anxiety, diabetic complications.

Inflammation

1. Environmental toxicology
2. Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.)
3. In silico pharmacology
4. Psychogeriatrics : the official journal of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society
5. Food chemistry

Cancer

1. BMC complementary and alternative medicine
2. Journal of medicinal food
3. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
4. Fitoterapia
5. Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP

Oxidative stress

1. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity
2. Psychogeriatrics : the official journal of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society
3. Iranian journal of neurology
4. BMC plant biology

Anxiety

1. CNS drugs
2. Pharmaceutical biology
3. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Diabetic complications

1. Toxicology reports
2. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine
3. Tissue & cell

Alzheimer's disease

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
2. The American journal of Chinese medicine

Escherichia coli

1. Food science & nutrition
2. Scientific reports

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

1. Food science & nutrition
2. Scientific reports

Staphylococcus aureus

1. Food science & nutrition
2. Scientific reports

Analgesic

1. Environmental toxicology
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Preparations

Coriandrum sativum has 37 reported preparations identified across 16 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include essential oils, hydro-alcoholic extract, essential oil, extract, Aqueous extracts.

Essential oils

1. Mutation research
2. Phytotherapy research : PTR
3. International journal of environmental health research
4. Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology]

Hydro-alcoholic extract

1. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Natural product research

Essential oil

1. BMC complementary and alternative medicine
2. Current computer-aided drug design

Extract

1. Journal of food science
2. Interdisciplinary toxicology

Aqueous extracts

1. Journal of the science of food and agriculture

Cs extract

1. Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR

Eo extracted from coriandrum sativum encapsulated in chitosan/tpp (tripolyphosphate) nanoparticles

1. Environmental toxicology

Essential oil

1. International journal for vitamin and nutrition research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Vitamin- und Ernahrungsforschung. Journal international de vitaminologie et de nutrition

H3

1. Parasites & vectors

Alcohol extracts

1. African journal of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines : AJTCAM