Citronella

Citronella is a tropical Asian grass, Cymbopogon nardus, whose lemon-scented leaves flavour cooking and brew into fragrant teas across Southeast Asia. It is also the source of citronella essential oil, distilled for commercial flavourings and for perfumery and insect repellents alike. The plant’s clean citrus aroma comes from a cocktail of terpenes that insects find repellent and humans find refreshing. Growers harvest the grassy clumps repeatedly, and distillers standardize the oil for its key constituents before it goes into foods, candles, or cosmetics.