Practical
Plants

Cyperus aristatus

a perennial member of the Cyperus genus in the family Cyperaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Cyperus
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1.5 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Tuber - raw or cooked[7][2][4]. A starchy flavour[10].

Plant part
Root

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaves are used for weaving hats, matting etc[5].

Product or use
Weaving

Environment

Range
N. America to S. America. Naturalized in N. Italy[8].
Habitat
Wet places in valleys and lowland all over N. America[9]. A cosmopolitan plant, it is not found at high latitudes[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - surface sow in the spring and keep the compost moist[3]. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 18°c[3]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. Grow on for their first winter in a greenhouse and plant them out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Division in spring or autumn. This is more a matter of harvesting the tubers and replanting them. If this is done in the autumn, then it is best to store the tubers in a cool frost-free place overwinter and plant them out in the spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. There is some confusion over the correct name of this species, we have shown C. squarrosus as a synonym but it could be the correct name, whilst some botanists say that C. inflexus is the correct name[6]. The dried plant is fragrant[6]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a moist sandy loam[11][1].

References

  1. Rosengarten. jnr. F. The Book of Edible Nuts. Walker & Co. 1984-00-00 ISBN 0802707699

    ↩

  2. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

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  3. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  5. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

    ↩

  6. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩1↩2

  7. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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  8. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

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  9. Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  10. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  11. Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-486-23310-3

    ↩

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