Contrary to popular belief, culantro is
not an alternate spelling of cilantro. Culantro and cilantro are not the same plants, though they are in the same botanical family, have a similar aroma and flavor, and both are used in cooking. When you see culantro, there is no mistaking it for the more common cilantro.
What Is Culantro?
Culantro,
Eryngium foetidum, has long, serrated leaves and sports a blue flower when permitted to bolt
Culantro is a member Apiaceae family, which includes carrots, celery, parsley, and parsnip.
Similar to parsley, it is a biennial plant that likely originated in the Mediterranean. During colonization, it was brought to the Americas and became an integral part of Caribbean and Latin American cuisines.
Culantro does go by various names, which only adds to the confusion. You might hear it called spiny cilantro, long-leafed coriander, or saw-toothed mint. In Spanish, it is sometimes called,
cilantro de hoja ancha, meaning "broadleaf cilantro." In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, the name
recao is also common and in some parts of the Caribbean, it is known as
chandon beni.
On my "to grow " list...it seems that the seeds should be months old to germinate...& saw a lot of comments on sites that sell the seeds regarding no sprouting,which is probably r/t the age of the seeds...would be interested in knowing if anyone here has luck with germination..& seed source.TY.