Skip to main content

Citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus)

Serai wangi or citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus) is a plant species in Poaceae, perennial, growing in clumps, up to 2 meters tall, has many fibrous roots, very well-known as a spice in Asian cuisine, herbal teas, citronella oil and pharmaceutical ingredients.

C. nardus has large fibrous roots, short rhizomes and radiates scent. Stems erect or tilted, clustered, bulbous, soft, hollow, green to purplish red and whitish hair. The contents of the stem are tubers and are yellowish white or purplish or reddish white.

Dlium Citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus)


Ribbon-shaped leaves, thin as paper, curved like grass with a length of up to 1 meter and a width of 1-2 cm, getting to the tip more pointed, green, a large linear bone in the middle, rough surface, hair, sharp margins and smell citrus if squeezed.

Flowers in panicles are red, grow at the tip, five petals which metamorphose into two palea units and a lemma, the crown metamorphoses into two lodic glands to open flowers in the morning. Three to six stamens, open lengthwise, a pair of pistil-shaped heads with a crested-shaped extension.

Flower stalks have a height of up to 2 meters, red covered with protective leaves and usually white. The protective leaves metamorphose into sterile and fertile glums. The fruit is grain shaped, red, elongated, flat ventral dorso and half the seed embryo.

Citronella grass grows wild in the tropics and requires a lot of sun at an altitude of 200-1200 m with an ideal 250-600 m, temperatures 23-30C, rainfall 1000-1500 mm/year with a dry season 4-6 months, distribution of rain 10 months and soil pH 6.0-7.5.



Citronella is widely cultivated for essential oils which contain 30-45% citronellal, geraniol 65-90%, citronellol 11-15%, geranil acetate 3-8%, citronelyl acetate 2-4%, citral, cavikol, eugenol, elemol, cadinol , kadinen, vanilin, limonene and kamfen. The main and most important ingredients are citronellal and geraniol.

Serai wangi is used as a flavor generator in food and drinks, sauces, sweets, meat and fat. Use in the perfume industry mostly consists of citral for the production of α and β ionons which are used as scented ingredients in soaps, detergents, creams, lotions and mosquito repellents.

The leaves are used to kill cancer cells, anti-microbial and anti-bacterial, treat infections of the stomach, intestines, bladder tract, heal wounds, carminative, stomacic, post-partum, fever and antispasmodic. The root is used as a phlegm thinner, mouthwash, diaphoretic and body warmer.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Tribe: Andropogoneae
Genus: Cymbopogon
Species: Cymbopogon nardus
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular

Cornstalk dracena (Dracaena fragrans)

Drasena or cornstalk dracena (Dracaena fragrans) is a species of flowering plant in Asparagaceae, a shrub that grows slowly, is very adaptive and inhabits in altitude regions of 600-2250 m, multistemmed at the base, up to 15 m high or higher with narrow, upright and slender crowns.

D. fragrans has a round stem with a diameter of up to 30 cm, young plants have a single stem and are not branched with a rosette of leaves to the ends, producing two or more new stems with subsequent flowering episodes.


Lanceolate leaves, 20-150 cm long, 2-12 cm wide, green overall or yellow vertical stripes follow the bone trench in the middle for some varieties, shiny, upright young leaves to spread and larger leaves droop due to weight.

The flowers in panicles are 15-160 cm long, individual flowers have a diameter of 2.5 cm with a six-lobed corolla, are pink and open white with the center having a red or purple line on each lobe for 7-12 mm, very fragrant and popular with pollinating insects.

The berries …
Post a Comment
Read more

Coromandel (Asystasia gangetica)

Rumput israel or coromandel (Asystasia gangetica) is a species of plants in Acanthaceae, perennials, vines and branching that are widely found on the edges of roads, shrubs and gardens, resistant to shade, used as fodder, especially cattle, goats and sheep, treatment, conservation of land and ornamental plants.

A. gangetica has a height of 88-95 cm, rectangular-shaped stem, brownish green or purplish green, taproot and can emerge from branches. Petiole has a length of 0.5-6 cm. Ellipse-shaped leaves, unifoliate, green or dark green, arranged facing each other and do not have stipules.



Leaves have a length of 8.5 cm, width 4.9 cm, area 69.42 cm3, length and width ratio is 1.8:1, heart-shaped base and taper front end, rough surface, flat edge, a main bone and 4 -6 lateral veins on each side.

Coromandel produces flowers after 4 weeks to 2 months. Compound flowers, lined up on one side with a length of up to 25 cm. Flower stalks have a length of up to 3 mm. Trumpet type, white with a bottom…
Post a Comment
Read more

Minnieroot (Ruellia tuberosa)

Kencana ungu or Pletesan or Minnieroot (Ruellia tuberosa) is an upright herb with a height of up to 1 meter and has many branches. Egg-shaped leaves with blunt edges, thin, flat surface, green, flat edges and pinnate bones.

R. tuberosa has 12 cm long leaves, 5 cm wide and 2.5 cm long stalks. The stem is a blunt quadrilateral, purplish green, covered with fine and short hair. Flowers have a diameter of 4-5 cm and a tube length of 5-6 cm.


Thin crowns of light purple, semicircular, numbering five strands and fused to the bottom to form a tube. The withered flower crown will detach from the base of the flower. The pistil is purplish white, the head is flattened and the stalk is 3 cm long.

White stamens, numbering five with sari stems attached to the flower tube wall. The stem is 0.5-1 cm long. The anthers are white with a width of 1 mm and a length of 6 mm. White pollen, large amounts, rather sticky and pollination using insects.

The flower petals are green, number four, 3 cm long and cont…
Post a Comment
Read more