Citronella grass

A. Citronella oil, type Ceylon (Sri Lanka) light yellow to brownish oil with a herbal fresh, grass-like, camphor-like odor produced by steam distillation of the aerial parts of the citronella grass sort lenabatu , Cymbopogon nardus. Main components are limonene (see p-menthadienes) (ca. 10%), citronellal (ca. 10%), borneol (ca. 5%), citronellol (ca. 5%), geraniol cA. 20%), and isoeugenol methyl ether ( isoeugenol ca. 

Definition Essential oil from citronella grass, Cymbopogon nardus, contg. citronellal, geraniol, citronellol... 

Nakahara, K., N.S. Alzoreky, T. Yoshihashi et ah, 2003. Chemical composition and antifungal activity of essential oils from CMYBopogon nardus (citronella grass). Jpn. Agric. Res. Quart., 37 249-252. 

Citronella grass is only found cultivated it is grown particularly in the southern part of Ceylon, and also in the Malacca peninsula and Java in most recent times attempts have also been made to cultivate it in the West Indies. The mother-plant is very probably the wild mana grass, Cymbopogon confertiflorus Stapf, found in Ceylon. 

The variety known as Lenabatu ( new citronella grass ), which forms the bulk of Ceylon citronella grass, yields an oil of less value, which differs from the other by a higher specific gravity, lower geraniol-content, and contains methyl eugenol. 

Formosan citronella oil has been examined by Furukawa, who found it to have the extraordinary specific gravity 0 960, and to contain 22 15 per cent, of geraniol and 11 per cent, of citronellal. Its odour is poor. It is not clear whether the grass used is true citronella grass or not. 

C. is steam-distilled from fresh and partially dried leaves (grass) of - citronella grass and is a yellow to yellow-brownish liquid with a typical, fresh and sweet, citrus-rosy odor. 

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