Common Name:

General Information

Cymbopogon distans is an evergreen, clump-forming, perennial grass with erect to ascending culmd growing 50 - 100cm tall. The plant becomes shortly rhizomatous with age, slowly spreading to eventually form moderate-sized clumps[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for use as a medicine and essential oil.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - central and southern China (Gansu, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan), Pakistan, Nepal, northwest India

Habitat

Mountain slopes, valleys, open grassy places; 2,000 - 3,500 metres[]. The dominant grass on dry rocky hot slopes; at elevations between 900 - 1,200 metres in India.

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.80 m
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Cymbopogon distans is native to warm temperate and subtropical regions of China.
Species in this genus generally grow best in a sunny position in a moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. Many of them are found in dry soils in the wild[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The essential oil is used medicinally[].

Other Uses

A lemon-scented essential oil is extracted from this species for medicinal and industrial purposes[].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow or only just cover, sowing the seeds in a nursery seedbed. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots at the 3 - 4 leaf stage and grow on until large enough to plant out. Seed can also be sown in situ, but this often results in heavy weed infestation[].
Division of established clumps. This is best done annually or they can become too crowded and suffer. The offshoots of this species often fail to establish[].

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