Cymbopogon distans (Nees ex Steud.) W. Watson

Aromatic oils are extracted from this species for medicinal and industrial purposes.

Perennial, shortly rhizomatous with age; basal sheaths closely overlapping in tight bundles, not curling. Culms densely tufted, erect or ascending, tinged purple, 50–100 cm tall, nodes glabrous. Leaf sheaths glabrous; leaf blades narrowly linear to filiform, flexuous, 10–50 × 0.15–0.3 cm, glaucous, glabrous, margins scabrid; ligule 2–3 mm. Spathate compound panicle narrow, open, 15–30 cm, usually simple, rarely with second tier of branching, raceme pairs few; spatheoles gray-green, 2–3.5 cm; racemes 2–3.5 cm; rachis internodes and pedicels 2–3 mm, margins densely ciliate with white soft hairs up to 3 mm; pedicel of homogamous pair not swollen. Sessile spikelet linear-lanceolate, (6–)7–8 × 0.8–1.2 mm; lower glume flat or shallowly concave in lower part with 1–2 transverse wrinkles, sharply 2-keeled throughout, keels wingless or narrowly winged, wings 0.15–0.25 mm, 2–4-veined between keels in upper part, apex long acuminate, 2-toothed; upper lemma 2-lobed; awn 1.5–2 cm. Pedicelled spikelet 5–9 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Oct. 2n = 20, 40.

Perennial; culms erect, up to 90 cm high. Leaf blades narrowly linear to filiform, flat or folded, up to 50 cm long and 3 mm wide, pale to dark green; basal sheaths glabrous to minutely puberulous. False panicle simple, interrupted, 15-30 cm long; spatheoles narrowly elliptic, greyish-green, 2.5-3.5 (exceptionally up to 7) cm long. Racemes 25-35 mm long, lowermost pedicel not swollen; internodes and pedicels densely ciliate along the margins, glabrous or minutely puberulous on the back. Sessile spikelet narrowly lanceolate, 6-7.5(-8.5) mm long; lower glume shallowly concave in the lower part, flattish above and often trans¬versely wrinkled, narrowly winged on the keels, 2-toothed at the tip; upper lemma deeply bifid, with an awn 15-20 mm long. Chromosome number, 2n=20.

Himalaya, Ceylon.

S Gansu, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [NW India, Nepal, Pakistan].

Distribution: Pakistan (Punjab, N.W.F.P. & Kashmir); Northwest and Central Himalayas to Yunan.

2300-2400 m

Fl. & Fr. Per.: August-October.

Mountain slopes, valleys, open grassy places; 2000–3500 m.

Andropogon distans Nees ex Steudel, Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 387. 1854; A. nardus Linnaeus var. distans (Nees ex Steudel) Hackel.

Cymbopogon distans là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Hòa thảo. Loài này được (Nees ex Steud.) W.Watson mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1882.