What is coriander called in different Indian languages?

dhaniya (Hindi); கொத்தமல்லி (Tamil); ధనియాలు (Telugu); ಕೊತ್ತುಂಬರಿ (Kannada); മല്ലി (Malayalam); कोथिंबीर (Marathi); ধনে (Bengali); કોથમીર (Gujarati); ଧଣିଆ (Odia); ਧਨੀਆ (Punjabi); कुस्तुम्बरी (Sanskrit).

Are coriander leaves and seeds from the same plant?

Yes — the fresh leaves (dhania/kothmir) and the dried round seeds (dhania) both come from Coriandrum sativum, used differently in cooking.

Is coriander the same as cilantro?

Yes — 'cilantro' is the American name for fresh coriander leaves; in India the leaves are called hara dhania or kothmir.

✿Apiaceae · Coriandrum

Dhaniya / Coriander

Coriandrum sativum

outdoor

Found in India: Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu & more

Identify this plant with SASYA

How to identify Dhaniya

Identify Dhaniya by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.

Check the distinctive field mark: Pungent coriander-scented leaves.
Confirm leaf shape: Deeply feathery/finely divided.
Confirm flower colour: White.
Confirm flower arrangement: Umbel.
Use the leaf pattern: alternate leaf arrangement, compound leaves, lobed leaf margins, pinnate venation.
In India, compare location records such as Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and nearby regions.
Confirm it sits within the Apiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Dhaniya.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Coriandrum sativum
Genus: Coriandrum
Family: Apiaceae
Found in India: Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Punjab
Conservation status: Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf shape: Deeply feathery/finely dividedrecorded

Typical of the family

Arrangement: Alternate
Type: Compound
Margin: Lobed
Venation: Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Dhaniya itself; the rest are typical of the Apiaceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower colour: Whiterecorded
Flower arrangement: UmbelrecordedFlower stalks all radiate from a single point, like umbrella ribs.“The flowers are borne in small umbels, white or very pale pink, asymmetrical, with the petals pointing away from the centre of the umbel longer (5–6 mm or 3⁄16–1⁄4 in) than those p” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fruit type: SchizocarprecordedA dry fruit that splits apart at maturity into several one-seeded segments.“The fruit is a globular, dry schizocarp 3–5 mm (1⁄8–3⁄16 in) in diameter.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Flower symmetry: Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
Inflorescence: Umbel
Fruit: Schizocarp

Characters marked “recorded” are for Dhaniya itself; the rest are typical of the Apiaceae family — flowering plants only.

Local Names

Hindi: dhaniya,धनिया dhaniya
Sanskrit: कुस्तुम्बरी
Tamil: கொத்தமல்லி
Telugu: ధనియాలు
Kannada: ಕೊತ್ತುಂಬರಿ
Malayalam: മല്ലി
Marathi: कोथिंबीर
Bengali: ধনে
Gujarati: કોથમીર
Odia: ଧଣିଆ
Punjabi: ਧਨੀਆ
Assamese: ধনিয়া
Nepali: धनियाँ
Sinhala: කොත්තමල්ලි

Dhaniya in India

Coriander is in nearly every Indian kitchen, leaf and seed alike — dhaniya (Hindi), கொத்தமல்லி (Tamil), ధనియాలు (Telugu), ಕೊತ್ತುಂಬರಿ (Kannada), മല്ലി (Malayalam), कोथिंबीर (Marathi). Coriandrum sativum is grown across Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Karnataka, in winter fields and kitchen gardens.

Uses

The fresh leaves (hara dhania / kothmir) garnish and flavour countless dishes and chutneys, while the dried round seeds (dhania) are a foundational spice, ground into masalas. The seeds also have attributed cooling and digestive uses in tradition.

How to Identify Dhaniya

A slender annual herb with two leaf forms: lower leaves broad and fan-shaped with scalloped lobes (the familiar 'dhania patta'), upper leaves finely thread-like. It carries small white-to-pink flowers in flat-topped umbels, followed by round ridged seeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is coriander called in different Indian languages?: dhaniya (Hindi); கொத்தமல்லி (Tamil); ధనియాలు (Telugu); ಕೊತ್ತುಂಬರಿ (Kannada); മല്ലി (Malayalam); कोथिंबीर (Marathi); ধনে (Bengali); કોથમીર (Gujarati); ଧଣିଆ (Odia); ਧਨੀਆ (Punjabi); कुस्तुम्बरी (Sanskrit).
Are coriander leaves and seeds from the same plant?: Yes — the fresh leaves (dhania/kothmir) and the dried round seeds (dhania) both come from Coriandrum sativum, used differently in cooking.
Is coriander the same as cilantro?: Yes — 'cilantro' is the American name for fresh coriander leaves; in India the leaves are called hara dhania or kothmir.

Botanical family

Apiaceae

Carrot family

Dhaniya belongs to the Apiaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Sources: GBIF — Coriandrum sativum (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Coriandrum sativum (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Coriandrum sativum (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)