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Citronella

Citronella
Photo: pabloendemico, CC BY 2.0

Citronella is a genus of tropical trees and shrubs in the family Cardiopteridaceae, native to South and Central America, Southeast Asia, Australia and the western Pacific. Few species are cultivated; Citronella mucronata from Chile is the most commonly grown and the hardiest in the genus.

Family
Cardiopteridaceae (Cardiopterid family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Bright indirect, Part shade
Water
Water regularly during growth and let the top of the soil dry slightly between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained, fertile potting mix or garden soil.
Temperature
Tropical species prefer 18–30 °C; C. mucronata tolerates cooler conditions, protect below about 0 °C.
How easy
Moderate

About

Citronella is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Cardiopteridaceae described as a genus in 1832. It is native to tropical regions of South and Central America, insular Southeast Asia, Australia, and islands of the western Pacific. The genus was formerly treated as belonging to the family Icacinaceae.

Few species have been cultivated. Citronella mucronata, from Chile, is remarkable for its hardiness compared to other members of this genus. It is one of the most well-known of the species and has been introduced to Europe.

Other Citronella plants

Chilean Citronella Tree

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Citronella (genus) by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

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