Eryngium foetidum

Culantro
Eryngium foetidum leaves, with a US ruler for scale
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Eryngium
Species:
E. foetidum
Binomial name
Eryngium foetidum
Synonyms[1]
  • Eryngium antihystericum Rottler

Eryngium foetidum is a tropical perennial herb in the family Apiaceae. Common names include culantro (Panama) (/kˈlɑːntr/ or /kˈlæntr/), cimarrón, recao (Puerto Rico), chardon béni (France), Mexican coriander, samat, bandhaniya, long coriander, Burmese coriander, sawtooth coriander, and ngò gai (Vietnam).[2][3] It is native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, but is cultivated worldwide, mostly in the tropics as a perennial, but sometimes in temperate climates as an annual.

In the United States, the common name culantro sometimes causes confusion with cilantro, a common name for the leaves of Coriandrum sativum (also in Apiaceae but in a different genus), of which culantro is said to taste like a stronger version.[4]

  1. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  2. ^ "Eryngium foetidum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  3. ^ "Culantro". WorldCrops. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  4. ^ Ramcharan, C. (1999). "Culantro: A much utilized, little understood herb". In: J. Janick (ed.), Perspectives on new crops and new uses. ASHS Press, Alexandria, Virginia; p. 506–509.