Lemon Grass, East Indian lemongrass
Cymbopogon flexuosus

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

A grass. It keeps growing from year to year. It has a short stout rhizome. The culms are robust and 3 m tall. They are 1-2 cm across. The leaf blades are narrow and 100 cm long by 1.5 cm wide.

There are 60 Cymbopogon species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It is mostly grown in Kerala in India. In southern China it grows on grassy slopes below 1,000 m above sea level. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Caribbean, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, SE Asia, Thailand

How it is used for food

The leaves and shoots are used in cooking. They are also used to extract oil. This is used in food manufacture for flavouring baked goods, fats and oils, ice cream, candy, drinks and chewing gum. Dried leaves are used in herbal teas.

It is a cultivated food plant.

Edible parts

Leaves, shoots

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Kochin grass, Kodi-pullu, Malabar lemongrass

Synonyms

Andropogon ampliforus Steud.; Andropogon flaxuosus Nees ex Steud.; Andropogon nardus var. flexuosus Hack.; Cymbopogon flexuoxus (Nees ex Steud.) Stapf; Cymbopogon travancorensis Bor.;