Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus
Herbs & Spices Difficulty: Easy
📖 About this plant
Tropical grass with a strong lemon scent and flavor used extensively in Southeast Asian cuisine. Pale lower stalks are the edible portion; leaves used for teas and mosquito repellent.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Full sun (6-8 hrs)
💧
Water
Every 2-3 days
💨
Humidity
Moderate to high (50-70%)
🌡️
Temperature
18-35°C
🪴
Soil
Rich, well-draining loam (pH 6.0-7.0); tolerant of poorer soils
🧪
Fertilizer
Nitrogen-rich fertilizer monthly during growing season
🌐 Common Names
HI
Hindi
लेमनग्रास
BN
Bengali
লেমনগ্রাস
MR
Marathi
लेमनग्रास
TE
Telugu
లెమన్గ్రాస్
TA
Tamil
எலுமிச்சை புல்
GU
Gujarati
લેમનગ્રાસ
UR
Urdu
لیمن گریس
KN
Kannada
ಲೆಮನ್ಗ್ರಾಸ್
OR
Odia
ଲେମନଗ୍ରାସ୍
ML
Malayalam
ലെമൺഗ്രാസ്
PA
Punjabi
ਲੈਮਨਗ੍ਰਾਸ
AS
Assamese
লেমনগ্রাস
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- South and Southeast Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Thailand)
- 📏 Max height
- 0.9-1.8 meters (3-6 feet)
- 📐 Spread
- 30-60 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Rarely
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Brown
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic to humans; widely used in cooking and herbal medicine. Citronella oil can be mildly toxic to pets in concentrated form.
- 🌱 Propagation
- Division of clumps; stalks can be rooted in water
🛡️ Health & Safety
🐾 Pet safe
✅ Non-toxic
Non-toxic to humans; widely used in cooking and herbal medicine. Citronella oil can be mildly toxic to pets in concentrated form.
Common issues
- Rust fungal disease
- Spider mites
- Root rot from overwatering
- Winter dieback in cold climates
💡 Care tips
- Citrus-scented stalks used in Southeast Asian cooking
- Grows into a tall clumping grass over 3 feet high
- HARVEST outer stalks by cutting at the base
- Requires rich well-draining soil and consistent watering
🪴 Add to My Plants
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