Serai Dapur and Serai Wangi, Similar but Not the Same

Dear Jamupedia friends, have you ever heard the name serai wangi (fragrant lemongrass) and serai dapur (kitchen lemongrass)? Yes, these two names are types of serai (lemongrass). They have have differences in physical, functions, and contents.

At first glance, the physical appearance of both serai  looks almost the same. However, if we take a closer look, serai wangi has longer leaves than serai dapur. The length of serai wangi leaves can reach 90 to 100 cm. In addition, usually serai wangi leaves will curl down to the ground, while serai dapur has relatively shorter leaves and grows more upright.

Apart from differences in the structure of the leaves, serai wangi and serai dapur also have differences in terms of the substance content in them. The main content of serai wangi is citronella, while the main content of serai dapur is citral. The differences is what distinguishes the function of serai wangi and serai dapur.

Serai dapur has a lemon-like aroma so it is often referred to as lemongrass, while serai wangi is often referred to as citronella. Lemongrass is used as a spice in cooking (for cooking or drinks), while citronella is mostly taken its essential oil, an ingredient of of minyak tawon, telon oil, and gandapura oil.

In addition to seeing the physical plant, you can distinguish serai dapur and seraiwangi by smelling the aroma. The aroma of serai wangi will smell much more fragrant than that of serai dapur. The aroma of serai wangi is similar to tawon oil, telon oil, or gandapura oil aromas.

References

https://bibitbunga.com/product/tanaman-serai-wangi-merah-minyak/

http://www.gagaspertanian.com/2019/08/perbedaan-sereh-wangi-dan-sereh-dapur.html

http://lipi.go.id/berita/cymbopogon-nardus-l.-rendl.-poaceae-serai-wangi/7658

https://www.sainspedia.web.id/2019/10/perbedaan-serai-wangi-serai-dapur.html