“Parsley has pointed leaves; cilantro has curved leaves”

Parsley and cilantro (or coriander) can be difficult to identify. A rule f thumb is that the “P” in “parsley” stands for “pointed” leaves, while the “C” in “cilantro” stands for “curved” leaves.
 
The pointed/curved rule of thumb has an uncertain origin, but became popular in the 2010s.
 
   
Wikipedia: Parsley
Parsley or garden parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region (southern Italy, Algeria, and Tunisia), naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as a herb, a spice, and a vegetable.
 
Where it grows as a biennial, in the first year, it forms a rosette of tripinnate leaves 10–25 cm (3.9–9.8 in) long with numerous 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) leaflets, and a taproot used as a food store over the winter.
 
Parsley is widely used in European, Middle Eastern, and American cooking. Curly leaf parsley is often used as a garnish.
   
Wikipedia: Coriander
Coriander (UK /ˌkɒrɪˈændə/; US /ˈkɔːriˌændər/ or /ˌkɔːriˈændər/; Coriandrum sativum), also known as cilantro (/sɪˈlɑːntroʊ/), Chinese parsley or dhania, is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae.
 
Coriander is native to regions spanning from southern Europe and northern Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft plant growing to 50 cm (20 in) tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the flowering stems.
     
A Piece of Cake
How to see the difference between parsley, coriander (cilantro) and celery
June 19th, 2012 /  Written by: Charlie Minter
(...)
Coriander is probably the easiest to recognise, as its leaf shape is clearly more rounded than that of both parsley and celery. Also, the coriander (aka cilantro) varieties that I know usually have leaves a shade of green lighter than most parsleys and celeries. So if the shape of the leaves is not pointy, you can be sure that it is coriander.
 
Twitter
SubmissiveGuyComics
‏@SGCposts
@AllegraLaughs Of course! ‘P’ for Parsley with pointed leaves. ‘C’ for Cilantro with curved leaves. It’s pretty genius.
10:07 PM - 26 Aug 2013
 
Twitter
Ashley Huertas
‏@ashley_huertas
@oliviaadavid parsley tips are pointy, cilantro tips are curved
11:28 PM - 5 Sep 2013
 
Twitter
Emily Lakdawalla
‏@elakdawalla
@aatishb Parsley is Pointy and Cilantro is Curvy.
7:14 PM - 31 Mar 2014
 
Betty’s Tips
C is for Cilantro & P is for Parsley
April 17, 2015
Do you have a hard time figuring out whether you have Cilantro or Parsley growing in your Garden?
 
Memorize this and you’ll never make a mistake again:
 
P is for Parsley and the leaves are Pointy
 
C is for Cilantro and the leaves are Curved
 
Poongodi’s Kitchen
Parsley chutny
October 11, 2015 Poongodi
First let us see the difference between Coriander leaves (Cilantro) and Parsley leaves.
 
The first one is Coriander (Cilantro) leaves which has a curved tip whereas the tips of leaves will be pointed in Parsley which is shown in the second one. C – Curved and P – Pointy (easy way to remember) In Coriander all leaves stems and seeds are edible, whereas in Parsley only leaves are edible.
   
Twitter
Health is Wealth
‏@healthyimpulse
Parsley looks a lot like #Cilantro. To distinguish them remember, ‘P’ for Pointy leaves & ‘C’ for Curved leaves.
10:51 AM - 29 Oct 2015
 
Twitter
Laura Thompson
‏@hoopslaureate
@Clarkpojo @ZachLowe_NBA Parsley has pointed leaves; cilantro has curved leaves. And yes, the smell test works, too.
10:13 AM - 31 Jan 2016