Coriander under irrigation in Argentina. It is an annual herb with a slender, erect, hollow branching stem growing to a height of 0.30 to 0.70 m. It has compound leaves and light pink or white flowers in a compound umbel. The fruit is globular a diachene and contains two seeds, one in each achene.
Roots are slender and highly branched.
Coriander requires a temperate climate and though it can tolerate a warm temperate climate there is a noticeable reduction in yield in this latter case. Though it typically grows in arid regions, it produces well under irrigation. Very few nutrients are required by this crop. It requires a soil of medium fertility but the best yields are obtained in light and fertile soils. It does not do well in impervious clay soils.