Culantro (African Coriander) Inflorescence

Eryngium foetidum or Culantro is known by various names as African coriander, Mexican coriander and saw tooth coriander. It is different from Cilantro, the usual coriander with scientific name Coriandrum sativum. Culantro has a much stronger flavour and odour than Cilantro and the leaves are much bigger. Culantro contains tannins, saponin and some flavonoids. Important compounds found in the leaves are caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid and kaempferol. It is used as a culinary herb in several regions. Here you can see the inflorescence of Eryngium foetidum well. There is also another shoot growing nearby, with new leaves. Flowers are so tiny that they are seen only in a zoomed view and appears to be white. Earlier when I had grown Culantro, much larger inflorescence was noted, though I did not get any seeds. Some say that when it is grown on ground soil, new plants spring up surrounding it, but separate from the parent plants, possibly due to spontaneous seed distribution and germination. I had no chance for that as the plant was growing in a garden pot on a courtyard with concrete tiles all around.