Coriander, Coriandrum sativum L., is globally cultivated for various purposes, including cooking, cosmetics and traditional medicine. Coriander has been cultivated for thousands of years and desiccated coriander fruits were found in various Mediterranean archaeological sites. The existence of wild coriander that is not a cultivation escapee is questioned. This work aimed to determine whether coriander growing wild in Israel significantly differs from cultivated genotypes and might be used for future breeding purposes. Nine coriander accessions originating from wild populations were evaluated for their fruit morphology, germination rates, growth rates, and fruit volatile content in comparison to those of nine cultivated genotypes. Wild accession fruits were found to have a harder and thicker coat and a low germination rate, that was recovered by seed rescue, suggesting stronger mechanical dormancy as compared to the cultivated varieties. Wild coriander fruits had a significantly lower essential oil content but a similar volatile profile in comparison to cultivated coriander. When grown under the same irrigation conditions, wild accessions had a much smaller vegetative appearance than cultivated coriander. This study documented the existence of wild coriander accessions that are markedly different from the cultivated genotypes. We illustrate two theories for their origin: 1) they are a separate subset or outliers in the C. sativum species that may have escaped domestication. 2) they represent the ancestor of the modern coriander crop. Future genomic studies will assist in judging which hypothesis holds.

香菜，芫荽L.，在全球范围内种植用于各种用途，包括烹饪、化妆品和传统医学。芫荽已经种植了数千年，在地中海的各个考古遗址中都发现了干燥的芫荽果实。不是栽培逃犯的野生芫荽的存在受到质疑。这项工作旨在确定在以色列野生的香菜是否与栽培基因型存在显着差异，并可能用于未来的育种目的。与 9 种栽培基因型相比，对源自野生种群的 9 种香菜种质的果实形态、发芽率、生长率和果实挥发物含量进行了评估。发现野生种质果皮更硬更厚，发芽率低，通过种子救援恢复，表明与栽培品种相比具有更强的机械休眠。与栽培芫荽相比，野生芫荽果实的精油含量显着降低，但挥发性特征相似。在相同灌溉条件下生长时，野生种质的植物外观比栽培香菜小得多。该研究记录了与栽培基因型显着不同的野生香菜种质的存在。我们说明了两种理论的起源：1）它们是独立的子集或异常值 野生种质的植物外观比栽培香菜小得多。该研究记录了与栽培基因型显着不同的野生香菜种质的存在。我们说明了两种理论的起源：1）它们是独立的子集或异常值 野生种质的植物外观比栽培香菜小得多。该研究记录了与栽培基因型显着不同的野生香菜种质的存在。我们说明了两种理论的起源：1）它们是独立的子集或异常值可能逃脱驯化的C. sativum物种。2）它们代表了现代香菜作物的祖先。未来的基因组研究将有助于判断哪个假设成立。