// SPECIES PROFILE · FOOD CROP · CULTIVATED

Cilantro

Coriandrum sativum

Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) is a cultivated annual food crop grown for its edible leaf, seed. Family: Apiaceae (carrot family). Originally from Mediterranean & Near East. Grown as an annual in zones 2a–11a. Mature size 1'–2'. Harvest in northeastern Oklahoma: Mar–May and Oct–Nov.

// QUICK FACTS

Family: Apiaceae (carrot family)
Group: crop · annual
Origin: Mediterranean & Near East · cultivated
USDA zones: Zones 2a–11a (as an annual)
Mature size: 1'–2'
Sun: Sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Edible parts: leaf, seed
Harvest (NE OK): Mar–May and Oct–Nov
Garden role: cool-season herb · bolts to coriander seed · tiny flowers feed beneficial insects

Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) — *Coriandrum sativum* — Cilantro. Photo by Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Why it's on this list: cool-season herb · bolts to coriander seed · tiny flowers feed beneficial insects. A cultivated food crop — not a native — grown alongside regional natives in Rooted Revival's kitchen-garden and food-forest designs. Harvest windows are for northeastern Oklahoma (USDA zone 7a).

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a kitchen garden or food-forest guild, cilantro pairs well with: Tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica), Chile Pepper (Capsicum annuum), Spinach (Spinacia oleracea), Lettuce (Lactuca sativa).