What is coriander/cilantro/Chinese parsley?
Coriander is the common name for coriandrum sativum (fam. umbelliferae). It is an annual plant similar to parsley. It has erect, furrowed solid, branched stems. The alternate bright green leaves are pinnate or bipinnate, the lower ones are broader leaflets than the upper ones, which are finely divided. Coriander seeds are cream to brown spheres of 1-1.5 mm. in diameter. In the culinary argot, it is common to refer to the plant as cilantro and to the seeds as coriander.
