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Cymbopogon
Also called Lemongrass, Lemon Grasses, Turpentine Grasses
Cymbopogon is a genus of aromatic tropical and subtropical grasses from Asia, Africa and Australia, best known for lemongrass (C. citratus) and citronella grass. Grow the culinary and oil species in full sun, warm conditions and well-drained soil with regular water.
Cymbopogon, also known as lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, oily heads, Cochin grass, Malabar grass, citronella grass or fever grass, is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants in the grass family.
Some species (particularly Cymbopogon citratus) are commonly cultivated as culinary and medicinal herbs because of their scent, resembling that of lemons (Citrus limon).
Citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon winterianus) grow to about 2 metres (6+1⁄2 ft) and have magenta-colored base stems. These species are used for the production of citronella oil, which is used in soaps, as an insect repellent (especially mosquitoes and houseflies) in insect sprays and candles, and aromatherapy. The principal chemical constituents of citronella, geraniol and citronellol, are antiseptics, hence their use in household disinfectants and soaps. Besides oil production, citronella grass is also used for culinary purposes as a flavoring.
Citronella Grass · Lemon grass · Rosha grass · Citronella grass · Cymbopogon grass
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cymbopogon 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.
