Inchippullu / Ginger Grass
Cymbopogon flexuosus
Also known as East Indian Lemon Grass, Lemon Grass, Malabar Or Cochin Lemongrass, Indian Lemongrass
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Manipur, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- November-March
How to identify Inchippullu
Identify Inchippullu by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Strongly lemon-scented, distilled for lemongrass oil.
- Confirm fruit surface: Smooth, not spiny.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: November-March.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Poaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Inchippullu.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Cymbopogon flexuosus
- Genus
- Cymbopogon
- Family
- Poaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests and grasslands, also in the plains
- Distribution
- India, Southeast Asia
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- November-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Poaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Fruit surface
- Smooth, not spinyrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Grain
Characters marked “recorded” are for Inchippullu itself; the rest are typical of the Poaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Nepali
- कागती घाँस Kaagatee Ghaans
- Malayalam
- ഇഞ്ചിപ്പുല്ല് inchippullu
About Inchippullu
Ginger Grass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) belongs to the Poaceae family, where it grows as a herb. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Manipur, Tamil Nadu and 3 other states. It grows in deciduous forests and grasslands, also in the plains. Flowering and fruiting run from November to March.
Poaceae
Grass family
Inchippullu belongs to the Poaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Poaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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