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

Porang (Amorphophallus muelleri)

Porang or iles-iles ( Amorphophallus muelleri ) is a plant species in Araceae, the petiole is a pseudo stem with a height of 40-180 cm, 1-5 cm in diameter, round, green or purple with irregular white spots, each branching point grows brown bulbil and yellow bulb. A. muelleri has all leaves or stems or stems that are light green to dark green or gray and has greenish-white patches, smooth or smooth surface. The leaves are elliptical in shape with pointed leaf tips, smooth and wavy surface. When flushing has 3, 4-5, 5-6 and finally 6 minor leaves branching with 3 minor petioles. Young leaves have light purple or green edges and will end in yellow and 0.3-0.5 mm wide. The whole canopy is 50-150 cm wide. The stems grow above the tubers with a diameter of 25-50 mm and a height of 75-175 cm. Tubers have a brownish yellow or gray color on the outer surface and brownish yellow on the inside, are slightly oval in shape, fibrous roots, weigh 450-3350 grams, smooth tissue, 4-5 months of dormanc
Post a Comment
Read more

Javan broadhead planarian (Bipalium javanum)

Cacing palu or Javan broadhead planarian ( Bipalium javanum ) is a species of animal in Geoplanidae, hermaphrodite, living on the ground, predators, often called only hammerhead or broadhead or shovel worms because of wide heads and simple copulatory organs. B. javanum has a slim stature, up to 20 cm long, up to 0.5 cm wide, head wide up to 1 cm or less, small neck, widening in the middle and the back end is rounded, all black and shiny. Javan broadhead planarians walk above ground level by raising their heads and actively looking left, right and looking up using strong neck muscles. Move swiftly, track meander, climb to get through all obstacles or make a new path if the obstacle is too high. Cacing palu track and prey on earthworms and mollusks. They use muscles and sticky secretions to attach themselves to prey to lock in. The head and ends of the body are wrapped around and continue to close the body to stop prey reactions. They produce tetrodotoxins which are very strong
Post a Comment
Read more

China rose (Rosa chinensis)

Mawar or Bengal rose or China rose ( Rosa chinensis ) is a plant species in Rosaceae, shrubs up to 1-2 m tall, growing on fences or forming bushes. Leaf pinnate, 3-5 leaflets, each 2.5-6 cm long and 1-3 cm wide. The plant has three varieties is R. chinensis var. chinensis, R. chinensis var. spontanea and R. chinensis var. semperflorens. R. chinensis has pink, red and white petals. Solitary flowers, usually four or five bundles together and have a mild aroma. Hermaphrodite flowers have radial symmetry for diameters of 4-5 cm. Strong branches, sturdy thorns decorate each path, young stems have dark green tree bark and woody old stems have purplish brown color. The leaves are arranged alternately from the petiole and downy. Leaf pinnate, ovoid with rounded base, tapered tip and sharp saw edge. The top leaves are dark green and shiny. Various forms of mawar have been cultivated in the garden for a long time, many varieties of garden roses and hibidation as tea roses and so on hy
Post a Comment
Read more