Taxon:  Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf



Summary
Genus:
Cymbopogon
Family:
Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)
Subfamily:
Panicoideae
Tribe:
Andropogoneae
Subtribe:
Anthristiriinae
Nomen number:
12797
Place of publication:
Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1906:357.  1906
Verified:
02/08/2006 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
15 (4  active, 1  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Andropogon citratus DC.

Images (2 total. Click on image for more.)
Inflorescence branch

Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
  2. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
  3. Anjaria, J. V. 1989. Herbal Drugs: Potential for industry and cash. In: G. E. Wickens et al., New crops for food and industry. In: Wickens, G. E. et al., eds., New crops for food and industry 90.
  4. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  5. Bellenot, D. 2009. pers. comm. Note: re. French common names
  6. Bor, N. L. 1960. The grasses of Burma, Ceylon, India, and Pakistan. Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
  7. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. 1950. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials and industrial products. Raw materials. 2:412-414.
  8. Craker, L. E. & J. E. Simon, eds. 1986-1987. Herbs, spices, and medicinal plants, 2 vols.
  9. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1994. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. 8:130. Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
  10. Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
  11. Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 2:1345.
  12. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
  13. FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
  14. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  15. Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
  16. Giraldo-Cañas, D. 2011. Catálogo de la familia Poaceae en Colombia. Darwiniana 49:139-247.
  17. Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
  18. Hammel, B. E. et al., eds. 2003-. Manual de plantas de Costa Rica Note: cultivated, as Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf
  19. Hollyman, K. J. et al. 1993. Les noms français des plantes calédoniennes : étude lexicographique et lexicologique. 222 pp. Note: Didier, Paris
  20. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
  21. Krenchinski, F. H. et al. 2017. Allelopathic potential of Cymbopogon citratus over beggarticks (Bidens sp.) germination. Austral. J. Crop Sci. 11:277-283. Note: this study evaluated leaf extracts
  22. Lazarides, M. 1980. The tropical grasses of Southeast Asia Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
  23. Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
  24. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: lists as C. citratus (DC. ex Nees) Stapf
  25. Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
  26. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
  27. Missouri Botanical Garden. W³Tropicos (on-line resource). Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
  28. Oyen, L. P. A. & Nguyen Xuan Dung, eds. 1999. Essential-oil plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 19:95-98. Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
  29. Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
  30. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  31. Randall, R. P. 2007. The introduced flora of Australia and its weed status. 145.
  32. Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics
  33. Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
  34. Soukup, J. 1971. Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. In: Soukup, J., Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. 106-107. Note: re. Spanish (Peru) common name
  35. Ugarte, E. et al. 2011. Vascular alien flora, Chile. Check List 7:365-380.
  36. Uphof, J. C. T. 1968. Dictionary of economic plants, ed. 2. 167. Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
  37. Villaseñor, J. L. & F. J. Espinoza-Garcia. 2004. The alien flowering plants of Mexico. Diversity & Distrib. 10:113-123.
  38. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
  39. Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:167.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishlemongrass  1Craker, L. E. & J. E. Simon, eds. 1986-1987. Herbs, spices, and medicinal plants, 2 vols.
EnglishWest Indian lemongrass  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Frenchcitronelle  2Hollyman, K. J. et al. 1993. Les noms français des plantes calédoniennes : étude lexicographique et lexicologique. 222 pp. Note: Didier, Paris
Frenchcitronnelle  2Hollyman, K. J. et al. 1993. Les noms français des plantes calédoniennes : étude lexicographique et lexicologique. 222 pp. Note: Didier, Paris
Frenchherbe citron  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
Frenchlemongrass  2Bellenot, D. 2009. pers. comm. Note: re. French common names
Frenchverveine des Indes  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
GermanLemongras  2Craker, L. E. & J. E. Simon, eds. 1986-1987. Herbs, spices, and medicinal plants, 2 vols.
Germanwestindisches Zitronengras  2Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 2:1345.
GermanZitronengras  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
Portugueseerva-cidreira  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
Portuguese (Brazil)cana-cidreira  2Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)cana-limão  2Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)capim-cidró  2Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)capim-santo  2Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)patchuli-falso  2Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Spanishpasto limón  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
Spanishzacate dete  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
Spanishzacate limón  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
Spanish (Costa Rica)sontol  2Hammel, B. E. et al., eds. 2003-. Manual de plantas de Costa Rica Note: cultivated, as Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf
Spanish (Peru)yerba luisa  2Soukup, J. 1971. Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. In: Soukup, J., Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. 106-107. Note: re. Spanish (Peru) common name
Swedishcitrongräs  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
2CultivatedAfricaNorthern AfricaAlgeria  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
2CultivatedAfricaNorthern AfricaEgypt  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
2CultivatedAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaFujian Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaGuangdong Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaGuizhou Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHainan Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHubei Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaYunnan Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateChinaChinaZhejiang Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaTaiwan  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaCyprus  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazil  Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:167.
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanCuba  Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanHaiti  Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanJamaica  Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanUnited StatesPuerto Rico Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanUnited StatesVirgin Islands, U.S. Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanUnited StatesVirgin Islands, U.S. Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaCentral AmericaBelize  Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:167.
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaCentral AmericaCosta Rica  Hammel, B. E. et al., eds. 2003-. Manual de plantas de Costa Rica Note: cultivated, as Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaCentral AmericaEl Salvador  Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:167.
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaCentral AmericaGuatemala  Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:167.
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaCentral AmericaNicaragua  Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:167.
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaCentral AmericaPanama  Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:167.
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuela  Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:167.
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaBolivia  Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:167.
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaColombia  Giraldo-Cañas, D. 2011. Catálogo de la familia Poaceae en Colombia. Darwiniana 49:139-247.
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaEcuador  Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:167.
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaPeru  Soukup, J. 1971. Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. In: Soukup, J., Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. 106-107. Note: re. Spanish (Peru) common name
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentina  Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaChile  Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
6Other    origin unknownWu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Cultivated
Africa
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco
Asia-Temperate
  • WESTERN ASIA: Cyprus
  • CHINA: China [Fujian Sheng, Guangdong Sheng, Guizhou Sheng, Hainan Sheng, Hubei Sheng, Yunnan Sheng, Zhejiang Sheng]
  • EASTERN ASIA: Taiwan
Southern America
  • CARIBBEAN: Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, United States [Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, U.S., Virgin Islands, U.S.]
  • CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
  • NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Venezuela
  • BRAZIL: Brazil
  • WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Naturalized
Southern America
  • SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Chile
Other (origin unknown)

Reference(s)
  1. Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
  2. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
  3. Giraldo-Cañas, D. 2011. Catálogo de la familia Poaceae en Colombia. Darwiniana 49:139-247.
  4. Hammel, B. E. et al., eds. 2003-. Manual de plantas de Costa Rica Note: cultivated, as Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf
  5. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
  6. Soukup, J. 1971. Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. In: Soukup, J., Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. 106-107. Note: re. Spanish (Peru) common name
  7. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
  8. Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:167.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Food additivesflavoring Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics
Food additivesflavoring Oyen, L. P. A. & Nguyen Xuan Dung, eds. 1999. Essential-oil plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 19:95-98. Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
Materialsessential oilspotential for allelopathic secondary metabolites for weed controlKrenchinski, F. H. et al. 2017. Allelopathic potential of Cymbopogon citratus over beggarticks (Bidens sp.) germination. Austral. J. Crop Sci. 11:277-283. Note: this study evaluated leaf extracts
Materialsessential oilsused as a masking fragranceOyen, L. P. A. & Nguyen Xuan Dung, eds. 1999. Essential-oil plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 19:95-98. Note: lists as C. citratus (DC.) Stapf
Materialslipids Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Medicinesfolklore Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Medicinesfolklore Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Weed  Randall, R. P. 2007. The introduced flora of Australia and its weed status. 145.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=12797. Accessed 15 April 2026.