General Information

COMMON NAMES: Lemon Grass, West Indian Lemongrass, Fever Grass; French Lemongrass TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tī Varāni (RR MG AT MK MT AK); Other Polynesian - Moegālō (SAM) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE s.India - Sri Lanka COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; Land, lowlands, gardens SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine, Food (Leaf 1+) Bev KEY FEATURES: Tufted perennial grass to 1m, with lemon-scented leaves. LEAVES rough-edged, straplike, to 100x1cm. FLOWERS rare.

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++	++	++	+	+	++	-		-

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Cymbopogon citratus (DC.)
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); COMMELINIDAE; Cyperales; POACEAE

GENERAL NOTE: Oils from leaves and roots of Lemon Grass, and of Citronella Grass (Cymbopogon nardus) used as essences in soaps and perfumes; and citronella as an insect repellant. Lemongrass leaves used fresh or dried to flavour foods and to make tea.

Vouchers:
Cooks: B. Sykes confirms Cymbopogon citratus and not C. coloratus, 3/2001.

References:
p.79 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.354 Hortus 3rd
p.336 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.18 R Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.405b Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTXmx, zB02, zM02, zD02

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