Taxon:  Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle



Summary
Genus:
Cymbopogon
Family:
Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)
Subfamily:
Panicoideae
Tribe:
Andropogoneae
Subtribe:
Anthristiriinae
Nomen number:
12810
Place of publication:
W. P. Hiern, Cat. afr. pl. 2(1):155.  1899
Verified:
02/09/2006 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
13 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Andropogon nardus L.

Autonym(s)
Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle var. nardus

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Andropogon nardus L. var. nardus

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Andropogon confertiflorus Steud.
Andropogon nardus L. var. validus Stapf
Cymbopogon afronardus Stapf
Cymbopogon confertiflorus (Steud.) Stapf
Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle var. confertiflorus (Steud.) Stapf ex Bor
Cymbopogon validus (Stapf) Burtt Davy

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

Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
  2. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
  3. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  4. Bellenot, D. 2009. pers. comm. Note: re. French common names
  5. Bor, N. L. 1960. The grasses of Burma, Ceylon, India, and Pakistan.
  6. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. 1950. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials and industrial products. Raw materials. 2:418-419.
  7. Craker, L. E. & J. E. Simon, eds. 1986-1987. Herbs, spices, and medicinal plants, 2 vols.
  8. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1994. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. 8:131.
  9. Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 2:1345.
  10. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  11. FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
  12. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
  13. Gibbs-Russell, G. E. et al. 1990. Grasses of southern Africa. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa vol. 58 Note: mentions
  14. Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim.
  15. Kress, W. J. et al. 2003. A checklist of the trees, shrubs, herbs, and climbers of Myanmar. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 45
  16. Lazarides, M. 1980. The tropical grasses of Southeast Asia
  17. Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
  18. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
  19. 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) 19:108.
  20. Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
  21. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  22. Pullaiah, T. et al. 1997-1998. Flora of Andhra Pradesh (India).
  23. Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics
  24. Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
  25. Terrell, E. E. et al. 1986. Agricultural Handbook no. 505
  26. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  27. Uphof, J. C. T. 1968. Dictionary of economic plants, ed. 2. 167.
  28. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
EnglishCeylon citronella  1Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Englishcitronella  1Terrell, E. E. et al. 1986. Agricultural Handbook no. 505
Englishcitronella grass  1Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Englishgiant turpentine grass as Cymbopogon validus1Gibbs-Russell, G. E. et al. 1990. Grasses of southern Africa. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa vol. 58 Note: mentions
Englishnard grass  1FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Englishnew citronella grass  1Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1994. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. 8:131.
Afrikaansreuse terpentyngras as Cymbopogon validus2Gibbs-Russell, G. E. et al. 1990. Grasses of southern Africa. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa vol. 58 Note: mentions
Frenchcitronnelle de Ceylan  2Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Frenchcitronnelle de Sri Lanka  2Bellenot, D. 2009. pers. comm. Note: re. French common names
GermanCeyloncitronell  2Craker, L. E. & J. E. Simon, eds. 1986-1987. Herbs, spices, and medicinal plants, 2 vols.
GermanCitronellgras  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Germandichtblättriges Zitronellagras as var. confertiflorus2Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 2:1345.
Portuguesecitronela-de-Java  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanishzacate limón  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Swedishcitronellagräs  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSudan   
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMozambique  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaEswatini  Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaLesotho  Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaCape Provincee.Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaFree State Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaKwaZulu-Natal Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaTransvaal Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaAndhra Pradesh  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaAssam  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaBihar  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaKarnataka  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaManipur  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaTamil Nadu  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaTripura  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaUttar Pradesh  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaWest Bengal  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentSri Lanka  Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1994. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. 8:131.
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateChinaChina  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentSri Lanka  Bor, N. L. 1960. The grasses of Burma, Ceylon, India, and Pakistan.
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaMyanmar  Kress, W. J. et al. 2003. A checklist of the trees, shrubs, herbs, and climbers of Myanmar. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 45
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesia  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) 19:108.
Native
Africa
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Sudan
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Mozambique, Zimbabwe
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Lesotho, Eswatini, South Africa [Cape Province (e.), Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Transvaal]
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India [Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal], Sri Lanka
Cultivated
Asia-Temperate
  • CHINA: China
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Sri Lanka
  • INDO-CHINA: Myanmar
  • MALESIA: Indonesia

Reference(s)
  1. Bor, N. L. 1960. The grasses of Burma, Ceylon, India, and Pakistan.
  2. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1994. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. 8:131.
  3. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  4. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
  5. Kress, W. J. et al. 2003. A checklist of the trees, shrubs, herbs, and climbers of Myanmar. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 45
  6. 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) 19:108.
  7. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  8. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Food additivesflavoring Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Materialsessential oils Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics
Materialsessential oilsfor perfumeryUphof, J. C. T. 1968. Dictionary of economic plants, ed. 2. 167.
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.
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=12810. Accessed 15 April 2026.