Cymbopogon distans is a perennial herbaceous plant. It has multiple stems that grow from rhizomes, reaching a height of up to 60 centimeters. The base of the stem is creeping, with a simple or branched quadrangular shape, often dyed purple-red, and densely covered with white flat hairs. The lower part is sparser, and the internodes elongate, much longer than the leaves.
It is propagated by seeds, with both autumn and spring sowing periods. Autumn sowing takes place in September to October, while spring sowing is done around the Qingming Festival. Before sowing, the seeds are soaked in water for 12 hours, mixed with moist sand in a 2:1 ratio, and then sown after 2-3 days. During the treatment period, attention should be paid to stirring, maintaining consistent temperature and humidity. Winter sowing does not require seed treatment. When sowing, a shallow trench is opened on the well-prepared bed surface, and the seeds are evenly scattered in the trench. The soil is then turned over with a rake and flattened to cover the seeds. Water is then poured to facilitate germination. The seeding rate is 2-3 kilograms per acre.
Cultivation Techniques for Cymbopogon distans
Land Preparation
Choose flat and fertile land rich in organic matter, and carry out meticulous land preparation. Combine land preparation with sufficient base fertilizer application. Apply 3000 kilograms of organic manure, 20 kilograms of urea, and 50 kilograms of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer per acre.
Water and Fertilizer
After the seedlings are uniform, attention should be paid to hoeing and weeding, watering immediately in dry weather, and timely drainage in rainy weather. After the flower buds appear, apply fertilizer once, with 5 kilograms of urea and 5 kilograms of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per acre. However, no chemical fertilizer is usually applied in the first year of planting to prevent lodging. Two crops can be planted in one year, and the second crop does not need to be sown again.
Harvesting
From sowing to harvesting takes about 3 months. Seeds sown in mid-June before winter are harvested in late June, while those sown in spring are harvested in mid-July, and those sown in summer are harvested in mid-September. When 90% of the seeds are mature, the upper seed branches are cut off with a sickle, dried, threshed, and cleaned of impurities. The seeds can then be sold as medicinal herbs. The best quality seeds are yellow, plump, and fragrant, with a yield of 200 kilograms per acre.
Disease and Pest Control
The main diseases of Cymbopogon distans are leaf spot disease, which can be prevented by spraying with a 40% carbendazim solution at the early stage of the disease. Spray once a week for three consecutive times. Powdery mildew can be controlled with powdery rust Ning at the early stage of the disease.
The main pests are leaf-eating caterpillars and leaf-rolling caterpillars that eat the flower buds. They can be controlled with thiocyanate and pyrethroid insecticides.
Main Varieties of Cymbopogon distans
1. Robust Variety
This variety differs from the original variety in that the plants are robust and have multiple branches. The leaves are large, up to 5 centimeters long and 4 centimeters wide, with a leaf stalk of 4-5 millimeters long. The flowers are large, about 1.8 centimeters long.
It is found in northwest Yunnan; growing along roadsides at an altitude of 2500 meters. The type specimen was collected from Eryuan, Yunnan.
2. Beautiful Variety
This variety differs from the original variety in that the plants are short, about 10-15 centimeters tall. The leaves are ovate to lanceolate, 0.8-2 centimeters long and 0.4-11 centimeters wide. The umbrella-shaped inflorescence grows on the upper part of the stem, with purple flowers about 1.5 centimeters long.
It is found in northwest Yunnan; growing on slopes at an altitude of 3200 meters. The type specimen was collected from Weixi, Yunnan.
3. Intermediate Variety
This variety differs from the original variety in that the leaves are oval, 1-2.2 centimeters long and 0.8-1.2 centimeters wide, with a leaf stalk of 2-3 millimeters long. The plants have fewer hairs.
It is found in northwest Yunnan; growing on slopes, valleys, shrubs, and gravel grasslands at an altitude of 2300-3200 meters. The type specimen was collected from Weixi, Yunnan.
4. Lanceolate Leaf Variety
This variety differs from the original variety in that the stems have more branches, densely covered with downward short and soft hairs. The leaves are lanceolate, 2-3.8 centimeters long and 0.7-1.6 centimeters wide, with sparse short and stiff hairs on the upper surface and adherent short and stiff hairs on the veins on the lower surface. The bracts are slightly shorter than the calyx.
It is found in western Yunnan; growing on slopes at an altitude of about 2800 meters. The type specimen was collected from Binyang, Yunnan.
