ABSTRACT
Citronella oil Java is the essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of the Java citronella, Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt. Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt is an aromatic perennial herb with fibrous roots, which seems to have arisen as a distinct form of the Sri Lanka citronella, Cymbopogon nardus. It is over two meters tall with smooth and shiny leaves that are up to one meter long; the plant has a fresh, green, lemony odor. The Java citronella is cultivated in Africa, Asia , South America, and elsewhere; the wild distribution is unknown. ‘Citronella oil’ is the essential oil obtained by steam distillation from the leaves of different species of Cymbopogon, of which Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt and Cymbopogon nardus L. are the most important. The oil is used on a large scale as a source of perfumery chemicals such as citronellal, citronellol and geraniol.
