Checking today’s harvest…
Tamáty is pulling together the freshest seasonal guide for you.
Checking today’s harvest…
Tamáty is pulling together the freshest seasonal guide for you.
Lemongrass is naturally being harvested in the United States right now.
Warm-region outdoor lemongrass harvest continues into fall. Store availability outside a natural U.S. harvest window may come from imports, domestic storage, or controlled-environment production.
Native origin
Why it belongs now
Selected for Midwest & Great Lakes
Florida, Hawaii, and southern specialty farms. Active U.S. growing states include Florida, Hawaii, Texas.
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Native origin
Native to
Maritime Southeast Asia
Cymbopogon citratus
Major growing regions today
Southeast Asia · India · Sri Lanka · Guatemala · California · Florida · Hawaii
Global production regions; U.S. harvest timing is shown separately below.
The story of lemongrass
A fragrant grass with deep Southeast Asian ties and a cultivated history that resists simple borders.
The lemongrass most often used in cooking is Cymbopogon citratus, a tall tropical grass generally linked to Maritime Southeast Asia. Its exact beginnings are difficult to pinpoint: centuries of cultivation and movement have obscured its original wild range, and the familiar crop is not always found as a clearly defined wild population.
Growers propagated lemongrass for its swollen, aromatic stem bases and long, oil-rich leaves. Bruising or cutting the plant releases citral and other volatile compounds that create its bright lemonlike aroma. Across Southeast Asia, the stalk became a defining ingredient in soups, curries, relishes, marinades, and herbal drinks.
The name “lemongrass” also applies to several related Cymbopogon species. Cymbopogon flexuosus, often called East Indian lemongrass, has strong South Asian associations and is especially important in essential-oil production. Distinguishing these species matters because culinary reputation, commercial cultivation, and botanical origin do not always refer to the same plant.
Today lemongrass is cultivated throughout tropical and subtropical regions, including Southeast Asia, India, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Hawaii, Florida, and California. Its modern range is global, but that success reflects human propagation and trade—not a naturally worldwide origin.