Cilantro/Coriander

* Botanical name: Coriandrum sativum

* What it is: An annual herb that looks a bit like parsley and is known as cilantro when the leaves are used in cooking but as coriander when the BB-sized, dried seeds are used.

* Size: 2 feet tall, about 1 foot around.

* Where to use: Herb garden, vegetable garden or in any sunny pot or window box.

* Care: Plant seeds directly in the garden in mid-May. Snip leaves as the plants grow. Best flavor for cilantro seasoning (salsa is its main use) is when leaves are young. Taste gets strong when flowers appear. Stop cutting and let flowers mature into the seed heads that produce the rounded seeds that are harvested as coriander. Fertilizer usually not needed. Pull plants when you’ve harvested the seed or when frost kills the plants in fall.

* Great partner: Herbs with more rounded leaves, such as sage, basil and oregano.