Coriander is an annual herb that belongs to the carrot family (Umbelliferae).
The unripe fruits have a smell that has been compared to that of bedbugs.
The plant is named after koris, the Greek word for bug. However when ripe,
the seeds have a distinctive sweet citrus/mint/musty aroma that has been
valued over the centuries.
The parts that are used are the fruit, and sometimes for salads
and soups - the fresh leaves. The fruit (so-called seeds) are of globular
form, beaked, finely ribbed, yellowish-brown 1/5 inch in diameter, with five
longitudinal ridges, separable into two halves (the mericarps), each of
which is concave internally and shows two broad, longitudinal oil cells (vittae).
The seeds have an aromatic taste and, when crushed, a characteristic odour.
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Coriander
