Lemongrass

Cymbopogon citratus

Poaceae

A tropical clump that puts lemon in soup — fever-and-digestion folklore with a wok pedigree.

Culinary grass. West Indian vs East Indian types both cook; C. citratus is the kitchen one.

Parts used: Stalk · Leaf
Traditional notes: Feverish cold folklore · After-meal tea · Tom yum and similar soups
Grow · USDA 6b: Tender perennial, USDA 9–11; pot north Root a grocery stalk in water, then pot. In work: May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep
Harvest: Stalks when the clump is thick; cut at soil.

The supermarket stalk is the start. Sit it in a jar of water until roots show.
Heat is the crop. Cold nights stall it.
Bring the pot in before the first frost.

Safety

Undiluted oil on skin or internally

Lore

A tropical grass that cooks as if it were lemon peel and ginger had a child. Ayurveda and Thai kitchens got there first. The essential oil is citronella’s cousin and not a drink.

The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.