CORIANDER, the popular name of a genus of plants of one species, Coriandrum sativum, belonging to the natural order Umbelliferæ. The fruit or seeds of this species when ripe and dry have a strong aromatic odour and taste; but when fresh gathered the smell of the fruit resembles that of bugs; whence its original name, from κόπος a bug. Coriander is occasionally employed in medicine as a stomachic and carminative; also to flavour sweetmeats and certain liqueurs; and it forms one of the ingredients of curry-powder. The source of its aroma is a volatile oil. The plant is an annual, and is cultivated in the south of Europe. It also grows in some parts of Britain. See BOTANY, vol. v., p. 195.