Lemongrass | |
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Cymbopogon citratus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Poaceae |
Subfamily: | Panicoideae |
Supertribe: | Andropogonodae |
Tribe: | Andropogoneae |
Subtribe: | Andropogoninae |
Genus: | Cymbopogon Spreng. [1] |
Type species | |
Cymbopogon schoenanthus | |
Synonyms [3] [4] | |
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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. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Some species (particularly Cymbopogon citratus ) are commonly cultivated as culinary and medicinal herbs because of their scent, resembling that of lemons (Citrus limon). The name Cymbopogon derives from the Greek words kymbe (κύμβη, 'boat') and pogon (πώγων, 'beard') "which mean [that] in most species, the hairy spikelets project from boat-shaped spathes." [10] Lemongrass and its oil are believed to possess therapeutic properties. [9] [11] [12]
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.
East Indian lemongrass ( Cymbopogon flexuosus ), also called Cochin grass or Malabar grass, is native to Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, India, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand, while West Indian lemongrass ( Cymbopogon citratus ) is native to maritime Southeast Asia. While both can be used interchangeably, C. citratus is more suitable for cooking.
In India, C. citratus is used as a medical herb and in perfumes. C. citratus is consumed as a tea for anxiety in Brazilian folk medicine, [13] but a study in humans found no effect. [14] The tea caused a recurrence of contact dermatitis in one case. [15] Samoans and Tongans use mashed C. citratus (called moegalo and moengālō respectively) leaves as a traditional remedy for oral infections. [16] [17]
Lemongrass essential oil has been declared generally recognized as safe in food by the United States Food and Drug Administration. [18]
In Hoodoo, lemongrass is the primary ingredient of van van oil, one of the most popular oils used in conjure. [19] Lemongrass is used in this preparation and on its own in hoodoo to protect against evil, spiritually clean a house, and to bring good luck in love affairs. [20]
In beekeeping, lemongrass oil imitates the pheromone emitted by a honeybee's Nasonov gland to attract bees to a hive or a swarm.[ citation needed ]
Species in the genus include: [3]
Numerous species are now regarded as better suited to other genera, including Andropogon , Exotheca , Hyparrhenia , Iseilema , Schizachyrium , and Themeda .
Bambusa is a large genus of clumping bamboos. Most species of Bambusa are rather large, with numerous branches emerging from the nodes, and one or two much larger than the rest. The branches can be as long as 11 m (35 ft).
Dendrocalamus is a tropical Asian genus of giant clumping bamboos in the grass family. It is found in the Indian subcontinent, China, and Southeast Asia.
Citronella may refer to:
Citronella oil is an essential oil obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of Cymbopogon (lemongrass). The oil is used extensively as a source of perfumery chemicals such as citronellal, citronellol, and geraniol. These chemicals find extensive use in soap, candles and incense, perfumery, cosmetic, and flavouring industries throughout the world.
Citronellal or rhodinal (C10H18O) is a monoterpenoid aldehyde, the main component in the mixture of terpenoid chemical compounds that give citronella oil its distinctive lemon scent.
Citral is an acyclic monoterpene aldehyde. Being a monoterpene, it is made of two isoprene units. Citral is a collective term which covers two geometric isomers that have their own separate names; the E-isomer is named geranial or citral A. The Z-isomer is named neral or citral B. These stereoisomers occur as a mixture, often not in equal proportions; e.g. in essential oil of Australian ginger, the neral to geranial ratio is 0.61.
Cymbopogon flexuosus, also called Cochin grass, East-Indian lemon grass or Malabar grass, is a perennial grass native to India, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand. It is placed in the genus Cymbopogon (lemongrasses).
Premna is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, first described for modern science in 1771. It is widespread through tropical and subtropical regions in Africa, southern Asia, northern Australia, and various islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Cymbopogon citratus, commonly known as West Indian lemon grass or simply lemon grass, is a tropical plant native to South Asia and Maritime Southeast Asia and introduced to many tropical regions.
Themeda is a genus of plants in the grass family native to Asia, Africa, Australia, and Papuasia. There are about 18 to 26 species, many of which are native to Southeast Asia.
Eulalia is a genus of Asian, African, and Australian plants in the grass family.
Cymbopogon schoenanthus, the camel grass, camel's hay, straw of Mecca,fever grass, geranium grass, or West Indian lemon grass, is a herbal plant of Southern Asia and Northern Africa, with fragrant foliage.
Sauromatum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. The genus is native to tropical Africa, tropical Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula. Their inflorescences last for only a few hours to a day and give off an unpleasant smell. The inflorescence disperses its odor by heating up.
Pholidota, commonly known as rattlesnake orchids, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are clump-forming epiphytes or lithophytes with pseudobulbs, each with a single large leaf and a large number of small, whitish flowers arranged in two ranks along a thin, wiry flowering stem that emerges from the top of the pseudobulb. There are about thirty five species native to areas from tropical and subtropical Asia to the southwestern Pacific.
Arundinella is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, common in many tropical and subtropical regions.
Tripogon is a genus of tropical and subtropical plants in the grass family. They are widespread across Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Fiveminute grass is a common name for plants in this genus.
Elsholtzia is a plant genus in the Lamiaceae. It is widespread across much of temperate and tropical Asia from Siberia south to China, Northeastern India, Indonesia, etc. The genus was named in honour of the Prussian naturalist Johann Sigismund Elsholtz.
Isodon (teacost) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae described in 1840. It is native to tropical and subtropical parts of the Old World, primarily Asia but two species are from Africa. Many of the species are endemic to China, where it is called xiangchacai or "fragrant tea".
Microlepia is a genus of ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae described as a genus in 1836. Most of the species are native to Asia, with many endemic to China, although a few species occur also in Australia, Africa, the West Indies, Latin America, and various oceanic islands.