CYMBOPOGON 



NARDUS 



Citronella 



PERFUME-YIELDING GRASSES 



Diseases. 



effort at extended production it would, therefore, seem essential that 

 separate attention be given to the forms of this and the allied species as 

 established by Stapf, namely : 



(a) C. Nardus proper. The Citronella Grass. The first definite account of 

 this grass would appear to be that given by Grimmius (Ldborat. Zeylon.), an 

 author who died in 1711 but who mentions the oil made from citronella. Stapf 

 remarks that he is unable to distinguish the different kinds of Ceylon 

 citronella, but in his opinion all the cultivated races have been derived from 



C. confertiflnrnfi. Stapf. 



Pangiri Maana. This is the pangiri maana grass of Ceylon, and is there only known in 



cultivation. It now seems possible that many of the vernacular names 

 given in the Dictionary under this species belong in reality either to the 

 plant given below as c. flcxnoaun or to one or other of the forms of c. martini. 

 The present plant does not appear to have been known to the Sanskrit, 

 Arabic or Persian r medicaV writers. It owes the botanical name .Voi-rfiis very 

 possibly to a confusion. Linnaeus assumed (Mat. Med., n. 32) that it was the 

 nard of India : it was early known in Europe as spica indica or spigo nardo. 

 But it is surprising that there is no very distinct early record of the wild plant 

 having been systematically distilled in South India as c. Martini is in the North, 

 although it is probable that Ainslie may be alluding to it, since botanically 

 the cultivated stock would appear to have been derived from a plant that is 

 wild in South India. 



Ceylon. CITRONELLA Cultivation in Ceylon. It is cultivated chiefly in 



TWO Forms. Ceylon and Malacca. Winter (Chem. and Drugg., Hi., 646) one of the largest 

 distillers of citronella oil says there are two varieties. These are (1) a 

 form known as lana batu, which appeared naturally in 1885 ; and (2) 

 another, known as maha panigri, which represents the older stock a 

 more delicate plant than (1). There is no specimen in the Kew Herbarium 

 specially labelled as maha pangiri, but there is one of lana batu. This is 

 C. Nardus proper, but it is attacked by a form of Ustilago or Smut a 

 parasitic fungus that lives within the tissues of the plant throughout its 

 life, and may thus possibly influence materially the yield of the essential 

 oil. This might (if so desired) be completely eradicated by the seed being 

 previously washed in water at a temperature of 120 F. In the Administra- 

 tion Report of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Ceylon, for 1903, mention is made 

 of the appearance of Ergot (Claviceps) as a disease on the maana grass. 

 It is said that the lana batu is the most widely distributed form of this 

 species and can be produced on soils of a much poorer quality than those 

 required for the maha pangiri. The plantation once established needs 

 little attention further than to cut the shoots systematically so as to prevent 

 flowering. There are two seasons, the first and principal in July and 

 August ; the second from December to February. The yield averages from 

 16 to 20 bottles (according to some writers 22 to 28 Ib.) per acre for the 

 first crop, and 5 to 10 bottles (7 to 14 Ib.) for the second. But with age 

 the plant yields less and less, so that by fifteen years the plantation has to 

 be renewed. The yield also varies greatly with seasonal conditions. In 

 the Ceylon report above mentioned particulars will be found of test ex- 

 periments on the yield of different forms of the plant, as also different 

 seasons of collection. The variability will be seen to be remarkable, es- 

 pecially the lower yield of the indigenous as compared with the introduced 

 and cultivated forms. 



Distillation. In Ceylon the distillation is accomplished by direct steam without the 



addition of water to the grass. A charge of dry grass is distilled in about 

 six hours, and the exhausted grass, after being dried in the sun, is used as 

 the fuel for the works. Citronellal is the principal bearer of the citronella 



456 



Propagation. 



Cutting. 

 Seasons. 



Tield. 



