| Citronella Plant Source |
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Joe
Posted on: October 23, 2007
Where can I find a citronella plant?
The citronella oil is extracted from members of a genus of grasses called Cymbopogon with the species C. nardus and winterianus being the most frequently used source of the oil. Richters used to sell two varieties of Cymbopogon citronella but currently is not growing them. Richters grows two other species of Cymbopogon that are closely related to citronella, the lemongrass species, C. citratus and C. flexuosus.
In current usage the Citrosa scented geranium which is often referred to as the citronella plant, is one of the many plants that give off the citronella scent when brushed against. Richters carries citrosa geranium plants. The original North American native citronella, also called richweed and stoneroot, is a member of the mint family and has the botanical name, Collinsonia canadensis. It too has a lemon scent when crushed.