About the speciesABOUT THE SPECIES — Healthy Eryngium foetidum rosettes growing in a Puerto Rico nursery bed. Plants not included; this listing contains seeds.
Cilantro, Culantro & Herbs
Puerto Rico Recao Seeds – Culantro
Eryngium foetidum L.
Eryngium foetidum • Culantro • Sawtooth Coriander • Ngo Gai
$5.89for 200 Seeds
SEEDS FOR CULTIVATION
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This listing contains Eryngium foetidum SEEDS FOR CULTIVATION—not plants or leaves. Select your quantity above; FREE SHIPPING applies to every option.
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Eryngium foetidum seeds — Puerto Rico's Recao, the heart of sofrito. Long, serrated, intensely aromatic leaves. 200 to 1,000 seeds, free shipping.
- Free shipping on this listing
- Secure encrypted checkout
- Carefully packed in Puerto Rico
- Detailed growing guide included
- Scientific name
- Eryngium foetidum L.
- Family
- Apiaceae
- Product type
- Seeds for cultivation
- Habit
- Low rosette-forming tropical herb
- Light
- Partial shade for the most tender leaves
- Sowing depth
- Surface-sow; barely cover
- Germination
- Slow and uneven; often 2–5 weeks or longer
- Soil
- Rich, moist, well-drained
Ask any Puerto Rican cook what makes sofrito taste like home and Recao will be near the top of the list. Blended with ají dulce, onion, garlic and peppers, its leaves give habichuelas guisadas, arroz con gandules, asopao, sancocho and countless stews their unmistakable backbone.
Eryngium foetidum is a low, rosette-forming herb in the carrot family. Its leaves are long and strap-like with finely toothed, softly spiny margins—nothing like the lacy leaves of cilantro. Crush one and the aroma is immediate and powerful.
Recao and cilantro share a flavor family but are different species. Cilantro is Coriandrum sativum; Recao is Eryngium foetidum. Recao's flavor is bolder, survives long simmering, and the plant thrives in tropical heat where cilantro quickly bolts.
The herb is equally at home across the Caribbean and Latin America—as culantro in Cuba and Central America, chadon beni in Trinidad—and in Southeast Asia, where Vietnamese cooks know it as ngò gai and add it fresh to phở and soups.
What You Receive
- 200 Eryngium foetidum (Recao) seeds
- Seeds for cultivation
- Free shipping
- Access to the dedicated Recao growing guide
This listing contains Eryngium foetidum SEEDS FOR CULTIVATION—not plants or leaves. Select your quantity above; FREE SHIPPING applies to every option.
Seeds for Cultivation
Photographs show growing Recao plants and harvested leaves for species reference. You receive seeds only.
Recao seed germinates slowly and unevenly; patience is part of growing it. Germination rates are not guaranteed.
Tiny seed, patient start
Starting Recao from Seed
- 1
Soak overnight
Soak seed in room-temperature water for 12–24 hours to encourage more even germination.
- 2
Surface-sow
Scatter on fine, moist seed mix and press in; cover with only a dusting of mix.
- 3
Warm and humid
Keep trays warm with a vented cover so the surface never dries.
- 4
Wait patiently
Seedlings may appear over two to five weeks or longer; don't discard trays early.
- 5
Grow tiny seedlings on
Give bright shade and gentle misting; the first leaves are small and fragile.
- 6
Transplant
Move clumps with a few true leaves to pots or beds in partial shade, keeping soil moist.
CORRECT ✓
Shallow sowing in warm, constantly moist, fine mix, then growing on in partial shade with rich soil.
AVOID ✕
Deep sowing, letting the surface dry, cold trays, harsh full sun, or letting plants flower unchecked.
The Soul of Puerto Rican Sofrito
Recao gives sofrito its green depth. It flavors beans, rice, soups, asopao, sancocho, stews, pasteles and fish, and it's often blended in larger batches and frozen for weekly cooking.
Because its flavor survives heat, cooks add it at the beginning of a dish, while a little fresh leaf at the end brightens it again.
Fresh fruit FAQ
Questions about fresh cacao pods
- Is Recao the same as cilantro?
- No. Recao/Culantro is Eryngium foetidum; cilantro is Coriandrum sativum. Both are in Apiaceae and share an aroma family, but Recao has long serrated leaves and a stronger flavor that holds up to cooking.
- Why are the seeds slow to germinate?
- Recao seed is tiny and naturally slow and uneven. Keep it warm, lightly covered and constantly moist; emergence can take several weeks.
- Does it need full sun?
- Partial shade gives the largest, most tender leaves and delays flowering. In strong sun plants tend to flower sooner and leaves become tougher.
- How do I keep it producing leaves?
- Harvest outer leaves regularly and pinch out flower stalks as they appear to keep the plant in leaf.
Recao vs. Cilantro
- Recao: Eryngium foetidum — long, serrated, strap-like leaves in a rosette
- Cilantro: Coriandrum sativum — lacy, divided leaves on upright stems
- Recao's flavor is stronger and holds up to long cooking
- Recao thrives in tropical heat and humidity; cilantro bolts quickly in heat
- Same family (Apiaceae), different species
Fresh fruit FAQ
Questions about fresh cacao pods
- Is Recao the same as cilantro?
- No. Recao/Culantro is Eryngium foetidum; cilantro is Coriandrum sativum. Both are in Apiaceae and share an aroma family, but Recao has long serrated leaves and a stronger flavor that holds up to cooking.
- Why are the seeds slow to germinate?
- Recao seed is tiny and naturally slow and uneven. Keep it warm, lightly covered and constantly moist; emergence can take several weeks.
- Does it need full sun?
- Partial shade gives the largest, most tender leaves and delays flowering. In strong sun plants tend to flower sooner and leaves become tougher.
- How do I keep it producing leaves?
- Harvest outer leaves regularly and pinch out flower stalks as they appear to keep the plant in leaf.
A Herb Across Continents
Beyond Puerto Rico, culantro is essential in Dominican, Cuban, Trinidadian and Central American kitchens, and it's widely used in Vietnamese and Thai cooking, where fresh leaves accompany soups, noodles and grilled foods.
Fresh fruit FAQ
Questions about fresh cacao pods
- Is Recao the same as cilantro?
- No. Recao/Culantro is Eryngium foetidum; cilantro is Coriandrum sativum. Both are in Apiaceae and share an aroma family, but Recao has long serrated leaves and a stronger flavor that holds up to cooking.
- Why are the seeds slow to germinate?
- Recao seed is tiny and naturally slow and uneven. Keep it warm, lightly covered and constantly moist; emergence can take several weeks.
- Does it need full sun?
- Partial shade gives the largest, most tender leaves and delays flowering. In strong sun plants tend to flower sooner and leaves become tougher.
- How do I keep it producing leaves?
- Harvest outer leaves regularly and pinch out flower stalks as they appear to keep the plant in leaf.
Growing Leaves, Not Flowers
Recao naturally sends up a branched stalk of small, spiny, blue-green flower heads, after which leaf production slows. Shade, steady moisture and pinching out flower stems keep plants leafy much longer.
Harvest outer leaves at the base with scissors, leaving the center to keep producing.
Fresh fruit FAQ
Questions about fresh cacao pods
- Is Recao the same as cilantro?
- No. Recao/Culantro is Eryngium foetidum; cilantro is Coriandrum sativum. Both are in Apiaceae and share an aroma family, but Recao has long serrated leaves and a stronger flavor that holds up to cooking.
- Why are the seeds slow to germinate?
- Recao seed is tiny and naturally slow and uneven. Keep it warm, lightly covered and constantly moist; emergence can take several weeks.
- Does it need full sun?
- Partial shade gives the largest, most tender leaves and delays flowering. In strong sun plants tend to flower sooner and leaves become tougher.
- How do I keep it producing leaves?
- Harvest outer leaves regularly and pinch out flower stalks as they appear to keep the plant in leaf.
Common Growing Mistakes
- Burying the tiny seed too deep
- Letting the seed tray dry out
- Giving up before germination begins
- Growing in hot full sun
- Allowing flower stalks to take over
Fresh fruit FAQ
Questions about fresh cacao pods
- Is Recao the same as cilantro?
- No. Recao/Culantro is Eryngium foetidum; cilantro is Coriandrum sativum. Both are in Apiaceae and share an aroma family, but Recao has long serrated leaves and a stronger flavor that holds up to cooking.
- Why are the seeds slow to germinate?
- Recao seed is tiny and naturally slow and uneven. Keep it warm, lightly covered and constantly moist; emergence can take several weeks.
- Does it need full sun?
- Partial shade gives the largest, most tender leaves and delays flowering. In strong sun plants tend to flower sooner and leaves become tougher.
- How do I keep it producing leaves?
- Harvest outer leaves regularly and pinch out flower stalks as they appear to keep the plant in leaf.
Why grow it
Why grow Recao?
Essential Puerto Rican sofrito herb
Stronger, cook-stable flavor than cilantro
Thrives in tropical heat
Continuous leaf harvest
Grows well in containers
Free shipping on every quantity
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