CYMBOPOGON citratus

Very useful perennial herb with a bushy, thick and compact habit, belonging to the poaceae family and native to the tropical and subtropical regions of south-eastern Asia, where, among many uses, it is used in the kitchen for soups, sauces and herbal teas and therefore easily available in vegetable markets. Create dense clumps just over 1 meter high. Formed by erect leaves and then softly arched upwards, thin and ribbon-like, of a lovely bright green color: if broken or wrinkled, they release a pleasant smell of lemon, hence the English name “lemon grass”. Flowering, not very significant and inconstant, can be observed in the late summer.

Fast-growing, it requires sunny or partially shady locations and fresh, fertile and humid soils: while tolerating periods of drought, it benefits from periodic summer wetting. It tolerates the presence of brackish winds, while it reacts less well to low winter temperatures, especially if lasting: however often the cold damage of the aerial part of the plant can be recovered, since it sprouts from the base in the first spring warmth and soon returns to have an interesting shape. It does not require specific pruning interventions; if anything, a general reduction of all the stems in late spring can result in a harmonious regrowth of the plant. It lends itself to cultivation in pots and containers, provided they are large, on terraces, verandas and balconies; in the garden its ethereal presence alone, as in association with other essences perhaps with contrasting foliage, immediately gives an aura with an exotic flavor.