Coriandrum sativum

Erect, annual, glabrous, usually profusely branching herb, up to 1.3 m tall with a well-developed taproot. Stem solid, subterete, up to 2 cm in diameter, older internodes sometimes becoming hollow, sulcate, mostly with a white bloom, light green with darker green ribs, occasionally violet. Leaves alternate, rather variable in shape, size and number, with a yellow-green, scariously margined sheath surrounding the supporting stem for up to three-quarters of its circumference, petiole and rachis subterete, sulcate, light green, blade white waxy, shiny green often with darker green veins, basal 1-3 leaves usually simple, withering early, often in a rosette, blade ovate in outline, deeply cleft or parted into usually 3 incised-dentate lobes, next leaves decompound, petiole 0-15 cm long, blade ovate or elliptical in outline, up to 30 cm x 15 cm, usually pinnately divided into 3-11 leaflets, each like the blade of the simple lower leaves or again pinnately divided into 3-7 simple leaf-like lobes, all higher leaves compound, petiole restricted to the sheath, blade divided into 3 leaflets of which the central one is largest, each often variously divided into ultimately sublinear, entire, acute lobes. Inflorescence an indeterminate, compound umbel, peduncle up to 15 cm long, bracts sublinear, 0-2, up to 11 mm long, primary rays 2-8, up to 4.5 cm long, bracteoles 0-6, linear, up to 1 cm long, secondary rays up to 20, up to 5 mm long, usually each umbellet has bisexual peripheral flowers, and the central flowers are sometimes male, calyx in all flowers represented by 5 small lobes, corolla with 5 white or pale pink petals, heart-shaped, very small (1 mm x 1 mm) in male flowers, in bisexual peripheral flowers usually 3 petals are larger: 1 petal develops 2 ovate lobes of about 3 mm x 2 mm and the 2 adjacent petals each develop one lobe, stamens 5, filaments up to 2.5 mm long, white, pistil rudimentary in male flowers, in bisexual flowers with inferior ovary, a conical stylopodium bearing 2 diverging styles up to 2 mm long, each one ending in a minutely papillate stigma. Fruit an ovoid to globose schizocarp, up to 5 mm in diameter, yellow-brown with 10 straight longitudinal ribs alternating with 10 wavy longitudinal ridges, often crowned by the dry persistent calyx lobes and the stylopodium with styles, fruit does usually not split at maturity, it contains 2 mericarps which each bear on their concave side 2 longitudinal, rather wide lines (vittae), containing essential oil. Seed 1 per mericarp, with testa attached to the fruit wall. Seedling with epigeal germination, taproot thin with many lateral roots, hypocotyl up to 2.5 cm long, cotyledons opposite, oblanceolate, up to 3 cm x 4 mm, pale green.