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Image shows the green grass-like foliage of the Cymbopogon citrates or West Indian or Citronella
Grass or Thai Lemon Grass or Sereh or Campin-cidrao or Fever Tea or
Takrai plant |
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Cymbopogon citrates
(West Indian, Citronella Grass, Thai Lemon Grass, Sereh,
Campin-cidrao, Fever Tea, Takrai) |
Family: Poaceae (Gramineae)
Origin: Native to India, Sri Lanka
Light:
Sun/part shade
Height: 3'
Foliage: Evergreen leaf
blades,
lemon scent, trim to keep in shape
Soil: Organic-rich, loamy, fertilizer monthly
Soil pH: 4.3-8.4
Water: Keep moist
Propagation: Bulb divisions
Uses: Lemon
Grass plant has many uses.
The oil is used
as an antiseptic to treat tinea pedia (athlete's foot). The stalks are
popularly used as a spice in Mediterranean and Asian
cooking especially in curries. Stalk cuttings can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Sereh is an insect repellant a carminative and is used in traditional
herbal medicine to treat coughs, cuts, asthma, headaches, bladder disorders and as a
diaphoretic. The leaves of the Citronella Grass are used in hot or cold tea.
This plant is also used in beauty products.
Caution: This plant has sharp edges so plant them away from
children and from passerby.
Comments: Cymbopogon citrates or West Indian or Citronella Grass
or Thai Lemon Grass or Sereh or Campin-cidrao or Fever Tea or Takrai plant is an aromatic tropical
herbal grass
with a
clump-forming and a moderate growth rate. Cymbopogon citrates is
carefree and low maintenance and is easily propagated from bulb
division. I love the lemony scent of
Citronella Grass leaves and I often brew the leaves to make an aromatic
tea which can be taken hot or cold; I also tie some leaves into a
knot and throw into a pot of cooking rice which makes the rice very
flavorful. For the Citronella Grass bulbs, I use them in
cooking curry dishes. For some reason, dogs find these perennial
plants irrisistable so grow some in a sunny or part shady moist area to
pamper your pets. I trim my Thai Lemon Grass to keep them in shape
and use the cuttings for mulch. Sereh can be grown in a container as
well. Protect plants from frost in Winter. According to sources, many
cancer patients in Israel are finding Lemon Grass very useful by
drinking 8 glasses of hot Lemon Grass tea daily to destroy cancer cells
in their bodies. The drink is made by steeping one gram of fresh
Lemon Grass in hot water; this will contain enough citral to destroy the
cancer cells.
USDA Hardiness Zones : 8-11 |
