It belongs to the grass family Gramineae and is a tropical, perennial and decorative grey-green grass from Asia. A sibling species, C. citratus, also called lemongrass, is considerably more tender.
It grows in a clump that can be divided over the years and can reach 60–90 cm tall, sometimes even taller. Both the white stem and the green leaves are used fresh or dried. The larger leaves are quite coarse and are used in the same way as bay leaves. The delicious, fresh, sweet-sour lemon flavour suits almost anything: fish, shellfish, soups, young leaves in salads, tea, oils and so on.
SOWING: Sow shallowly indoors and plant out in nutrient-rich, moisture-retentive soil once all risk of frost has passed, preferably in a greenhouse and preferably in a pot sunk into the ground that can easily be brought in for the winter. The seeds germinate unevenly, so do not let the sowing dry out. The temperature during growing should not fall below 13 degrees. Overwinter the lemongrass somewhere bright where the temperature does not drop below 8°C. With a little luck and a good place to overwinter it, lemongrass can become a perennial, stately pot plant.
