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Eryngium foetidum
Also called Chardon Benit Shadon beni, Cilantro Cimarron, Fitweed, Mexican Coriander, Saw-leaf Herb, Shadow beni, Spiritweed Sawtooth Herb
Spiritweed (Eryngium foetidum) is a tropical perennial herb in the carrot family, grown for its strongly flavoured, sawtooth-edged leaves, often used like a stronger coriander. It is grown as a perennial in the tropics and as an annual in cooler climates.
Eryngium foetidum is a tropical perennial herb in the family Apiaceae. Common names include culantro (Costa Rica and Panama) ( or ), cimarrón, recao (Puerto Rico), chardon béni (Martinique), Mexican coriander, samat, bandhaniya (Trinidad and Tobago), long coriander, wide coriander, Burmese coriander, sawtooth coriander, Chadon Beni/Shadow Beni (Trinidad and Tobago), and ngò gai (Vietnam). 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 India it is called "Mandhonia", specifically in the Northeast.
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.
Amethyst Eryngo · Field eryngo · Giant sea holly · Sea-holly · Giant Sea Holly · Button eryngo · Eryngo
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Eryngium foetidum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
