Cilantro is not in the mint family. It belongs to the Apiaceae family, commonly called the carrot or parsley family. Mint belongs to a completely different family called Lamiaceae. Despite some superficial similarities in appearance and the fact that both are aromatic herbs, cilantro and mint are not closely related.
What Family Cilantro Actually Belongs To
Cilantro’s scientific name is Coriandrum sativum, and it sits in the order Apiales within the family Apiaceae. This family is sometimes called Umbelliferae, a name that hints at its most distinctive feature: flowers arranged in umbrella-shaped clusters called umbels. The classification is confirmed by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, one of the world’s leading authorities on plant taxonomy.
Cilantro’s closest kitchen relatives may surprise you. Parsley, dill, cumin, celery, and even carrots all belong to Apiaceae. These plants share a common structure: alternate leaves (rather than paired), often finely divided or feathery foliage, and hollow stems. If you’ve ever let cilantro bolt and watched it produce tiny white flowers in flat, spreading clusters, you’ve seen the classic Apiaceae form. That flower shape looks nothing like the tubular blooms you’d find on basil or mint.
How the Mint Family Differs
The mint family, Lamiaceae, has a set of physical traits that are easy to spot once you know what to look for. The most reliable giveaway is the stem: Lamiaceae plants have distinctly square stems. Roll a mint stem between your fingers and you’ll feel four flat edges instead of a round cross-section. Cilantro stems are round and hollow.
Lamiaceae plants also grow their leaves in opposite pairs, with two leaves emerging from the same point on the stem, directly across from each other. Cilantro’s leaves grow alternately, staggered along the stem. The flowers differ too. Mint family flowers are tubular and lipped, with a structure that looks a bit like a tiny open mouth. Apiaceae flowers are small, symmetrical, and clustered in those flat umbrella formations.
Well-known members of the mint family include basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, and lavender. All of them share those square stems, opposite leaves, and aromatic essential oils. The Lamiaceae family is particularly rich in compounds called terpenes and phenolic acids, which give its members their strong, distinctive scents.
Why the Confusion Happens
The mix-up between cilantro and the mint family is understandable. Both cilantro and many mint-family herbs are leafy, green, aromatic, and used in similar ways in the kitchen. Young cilantro leaves can look somewhat similar to certain mint varieties at a glance, especially to someone unfamiliar with both plants. They also overlap in cuisines: Vietnamese and Thai cooking, for example, frequently use cilantro and mint side by side in the same dish.
Another source of confusion is that both families produce aromatic essential oils, though through different chemical pathways. Lamiaceae plants tend to be rich in monoterpenes and compounds like rosmarinic acid. Apiaceae plants contain a different set of active compounds, including polyacetylenes and their own unique volatile oils. The “soapy” taste some people perceive in cilantro comes from aldehyde compounds that are chemically distinct from anything in the mint family.
A Quick Way to Tell Them Apart
If you’re ever unsure whether an herb in your garden is a mint-family plant or an Apiaceae member, check three things:
- Stem shape: Square means Lamiaceae (mint family). Round or hollow means it could be Apiaceae.
- Leaf arrangement: Opposite pairs suggest Lamiaceae. Alternating leaves point toward Apiaceae.
- Flower clusters: Tubular, lipped flowers indicate Lamiaceae. Flat, umbrella-shaped clusters of tiny flowers are the hallmark of Apiaceae.
Cilantro checks all three Apiaceae boxes: round hollow stems, alternate leaves, and umbel flower clusters. It’s firmly a member of the carrot family, sharing more in common with parsley and dill than with any mint you’ll find.