How to grow Mexican Coriander

Eryngium foetidum

Remove the flowering heads to promote leaf growth.


Keep soil constantly moist.

Culantro grows best in dappled sun.

Growing Mexican coriander from seed

Direct sow outdoors in fall.

Look to ensure a distance 11.7 inches (30.0 cm) between seeds when sowing - bury at a depth of at least 0.0 inches (0.0 cm) deep.

By our calculations*, you should look at sowing Mexican coriander about 56 days before your last frost date .

Transplanting Mexican coriander

Culantro does not take transplanting without fussing. It is best to plant it where it will stay. Grows well in a container, the bigger the better and do not fill the planter to the top. Best if filled three to six inches (7.62 to 15.24cm) from the top. This will protect cilantro from mild cold weather and wind.

Ensure that temperatures are mild (minimum night temperatures should be around 2°C / 36°F) and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Mexican coriander is a tender plant.

Harvesting Mexican coriander

Leaves can be harvested when they are about 2 1/2 in long. If you prefer use gloves as the aroma of the recao is very strong.

Seed Saving Mexican coriander

The seeds are ready when they turn a deep dark brown. You can clip the whole “umbrella” from the stem and carefully put it inside a bag. Shake the bag to release the seeds.

How long does Mexican coriander take to grow?

These estimates for how long Mexican coriander takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

Days to Germination How long does it take Mexican coriander to germinate?
18 days

Average 18 days | Min 13 days | Max 50 days (4)

Days to Transplant How long until I can plant out Mexican coriander?
+ 9 days

Average 9 days | Min 9 days | Max 9 days (1)

Days to Maturity How long until Mexican coriander is ready for harvest / bloom?
+ days

Average days | Min days | Max days (0)

Total Growing Days How long does it take to grow Mexican coriander?
= days

When should I plant Mexican coriander?

Our when to plant Mexican coriander estimates are relative to your last frost date.

When to sow The number of days to sow Mexican coriander before or after your last frost date.
56 days before Last Frost Date

Mexican coriander Etymology

Foetidum = “fetid” in Latin, indicating that like cilantro, many people (possibly including Linnaeus himself) find the leaves distasteful.

Mexican coriander Folklore & Trivia

E. foetidum has been used in traditional medicine for burns, earache, fevers, hypertension, constipation, fits, asthma, stomachache, worms, infertility complications, snake bites, diarrhea, and malaria.1

Culantro is related to sea holly and rattlesnake master.2

Other names for Mexican coriander

Culantro, Mexican coriander, Thai coriander, Wild coriander, Thorny coriander, Cuban coriander, Long coriander, Spiny coriander, Sawtooth coriander, Chardon benit, Donnia, fitweed, Shado beni, spiritweed, sawtooth herb, saw-leaf herb, stinkweed, duck-tongue herb, samat (Guatemala), alcapate (Guatemala), cilantro de monte (Venezuela), culantro de pata (Honduras), chicoria (Cuba), Recao (Puerto Rico), cilantro mexicano (Mexico), cilantro habanero (Mexico and Spain), culantro coyote (El Salvador and Costa Rica), jungle culantro, sacha culantro (Peru), orégano de Cartagena (Spain), culantro cimarron (Colombia), Chillangua (Ecuador), sneki wiwiri (Surinam), coentro-bravo (Brazil), coentro-largo (Brazil), bhandhania (Trinidad and Tobago), shandon beni (Trinidad and Tobago), Ngò gai (Vietnamese), Tabasco parsley

Eryngium foetidum L.

Misspellings: Corriander, Corriandar

Footnotes

1 Wikipedia entry on Culantro

2 Herb and spices for Florida Gardens – Monica Moran Brandies


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