Perennial, rarely annual. Culms often tall, robust. Leaf blades aromatic, filiform to broadly linear; ligule scarious. Inflorescence a dense spathate compound panicle, each ultimate spatheole subtending a pair of short racemes on a short peduncle; spatheoles boat-shaped; each raceme borne on a short, flattened raceme base, often deflexed at maturity, lower raceme with one basal pair of homogamous spikelets below the fertile pairs; rachis internodes and pedicels linear, white-ciliate on margins, sometimes pedicel of homogamous pair swollen and fused to adjacent internode. Sessile spikelet dorsally compressed; callus obtuse, shortly bearded, inserted into internode apex; lower glume papery, flat or concave, sometimes grooved or wrinkled, 2-keeled, keels lateral, often winged above middle, with or without intercarinal veins; upper glume boat-shaped, awnless; lower floret reduced to a hyaline lemma; upper lemma narrowly oblong, usually 2-lobed to near middle, lobes slender, ciliate, awned from sinus, occasionally subentire and awnless; awn geniculate, sometimes weakly, short, glabrous. Pedicelled spikelet male or sterile, narrowly lanceolate, awnless. x = 10, 20, 40, 60.

Cymbopogon, with its inserted callus but frequently deflexed raceme bases, provides a link between Andropogon and Hyparrhenia, although its aromatic leaves distinguish it from both these genera. Many of the species are both variable and intergrading, based on inconstant characters, leading to much taxonomic difficulty. Specimens showing intermediate or extreme characteristics are common.

Several species are cultivated commercially for the aromatic oils that are distilled from their leaves. The oils are often lemon scented and are used as perfume. Some species are also used medicinally and in cooking. Oil of citronella is used as an insect repellant.

About 70 species: tropics and subtropics of Africa, Asia, and Australia, predominantly in Asia; introduced in tropical America; 24 species (seven endemic, up to five introduced) in China.

(Authors: Chen Shouliang (陈守良); Sylvia M. Phillips)