Used in 

 Cookery. 



Lemon Tea. 



CYMBOPOGON 



NARDUS PEEFUME-YIELDING GRASSES 



Culinary Lemon-grass 



proved that both these are obtained from one and the same species, 

 the differences being climatic, not racial ? In other words, has it been 

 established beyond dispute that the peculiarities in the grades of lemon- 

 grass oil denote the species of plants used ? With such uncertainty it is 

 perhaps permissible to think that at least some of the grades of lemon-grass 

 oil are obtained from the culinary lemon-grass the oleum siree of Lochner 

 (Ephem. Acad. Nat. Cur. Cent., 1717, v-vi., app., 157) ; and if this be so 

 the name must be retained. 



The extraordinary anomaly is thus presented of an important plant, 

 such as C. citratus, known possibly to a large number of the inhabitants 

 of India and Ceylon, not having been systematically studied. This subject 

 should, therefore, commend itself as worthy of attention to those who may 

 have the opportunity of contributing either new material or fresh infor- 

 mation. 



Rumphius says the leaves were used in cooking fish and in flavouring 

 wine, but he throws doubt on the roots being medicinal. In India as 

 a whole (excluding the modern Travancore and Cochin industry) the 

 CULINARY LEMON-GRASS does not appear to be distilled. Wallich (PL As. 

 Ear., 1832, iii., 48, t. 280) under the name Andropogon Schcenantlins 

 gives an illustration of what is possibly a distinct species but which has by 

 Hackel, followed by Hooker, been treated as A. Nardus, Linn., var. 

 yrandis, and with that East Himalayan plant Wallich has associated 

 the economic information of the garden lemon-grass. He quotes, for ex- 

 ample, from Fleming.(^s. Res., 1810, xi., 156), who says, " Many Europeans 

 with whom tea does not agree, use, instead of it, the infusion of this plant, 

 to which they have given the name of lemon grass." Dr. Wallich then 

 adds, " Dr. Maton, one of the Vice-Presidents of the Linnean Society and 

 Physician Extraordinary to the late Queen Charlotte, tells me that he has 

 repeatedly been treated with a dish of lemon grass tea by Her Majesty, 

 who used to be very fond of it, and was supplied with the plant from the 

 Royal Gardens, Kew." " There are few people," Wallich concludes, 

 " who have experienced the influence of an Indian climate, who have not 

 found benefit from the wholesome and refreshing beverage prepared from 

 this grass." It might almost, however, be said of India, as it can certainly 

 be said of England, that Queen Charlotte's lemon tea has become completely 

 forgotten. The lemon-grass is occasionally added to certain soups or used 

 while cooking fish and curry, but as affording a refreshing beverage it is 

 unknown to the people of India to-day. 



Lastly, in this place mention may be made of Mrs. Lisboa (Journ. 

 Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc., 1889, iv., 123) having figured and described a new 

 species, viz. Cynnbopoyon odoratus, found wild at Lanowli, Poona, 

 which is said to yield an oil " soft, swee't and more agreeable than that of 

 C. Martini." It is thus evident that even if C. citratus be excluded 

 from consideration as an odoriferous oil-yielding species, there are very 

 possibly several distinct plants that afford oils, many of which are treated 

 as lemon-grass oils. 



[<7/. Sawer, Odorography, 88-9 ; Pharmaeog. Ind., iii., 567 ; Wiesner, Die Rohst. 

 des Pflanzenr., 1903, ii., 577 ; Western Star, Sept. 1901 ; Yearbook of Pharmacy, 

 1900, 162; 1901, 55; Chem. and Drugg., 1901, 864; 1903, 507; 1904, 179-82; 

 Trop. Agrist., 1901, 59, 199 ; 1902, 473 ; 1904, 531 ; Bull. Econ. Ulndo-Chine, 



1902, 867 ; Der Tropenpflanzer, 1902, 196, 425 ; 1904, 321 ; Proc. Chem. Soc. 



1903, xix., No. 273 ; Chem. News, 1904, 21 ; Journ. Chem. Soc. Indust., 1903, 

 1305 ; 1904, 75, 694.] 



460 



Used with 

 Soup. 



Lanowli 

 Scented Oil. 



