Lemongrass

herbs · tropical plants · cooking

Smells like lemons. Lemongrass gets its name because it smells exactly like fresh lemons, even though it's actually a grass, not a citrus fruit. People use it to flavor soups, teas, and curries around the world.

Many names, one plant. This grass has at least seven different names depending on where you live, including barbed wire grass, citronella grass, and fever grass. Scientists call it Cymbopogon, which comes from Greek words meaning 'boat-shaped beard' because of how its fuzzy flower parts look.

Grows across warm places. Lemongrass is native to Asia, Africa, Australia, and tropical islands. It thrives in warm climates and is now grown in gardens and farms all over the world because people love its flavor.

Used for healing. For hundreds of years, people have believed lemongrass has healing powers and used it as a medicine. Scientists are still studying whether its oil really does help people feel better.

Part of the grass family. Even though it doesn't look like the grass in your lawn, lemongrass is actually a grass and belongs to the same family as wheat and rice.