Practical
Plants

Cyperus esculentus

Tiger Nut

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

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Cyperus
Life cycle
perennial
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
0.9 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

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

Tuber - raw, cooked or dried and ground into a powder[8][13][15][18][20][21][7].They are also used in confectionery[7]. A delicious nut-like flavour[1][17][7] but rather chewy and with a tough skin[K]. They taste best when dried[12]. They can be cooked in barley water to give them a sweet flavour and then be used as a dessert nut[7]. A refreshing beverage is made by mixing the ground tubers with water, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla and ice[7]. The ground up tuber can also be made into a plant milk with water, wheat and sugar[7]. An edible oil is obtained from the tuber. It is considered to be a superior oil that compares favourably with olive oil[7]. The roasted tubers are a coffee substitute[8][18][7]. The base of the plant can be used in salads[7]. (This probably means the base of the leaf stems[K])

Product or use
Coffee
Product or use
Oil
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

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

Tiger nuts are regarded as a digestive tonic, having a heating and drying effect on the digestive system and alleviating flatulence[11]. They also promote urine production and menstruation[11]. The tubers are said to be aphrodisiac, carminative, diuretic, emmenagogue, stimulant and tonic[10][11]. In Ayurvedic medicine they are used in the treatment of flatulence, indigestion, colic, diarrhoea, dysentery, debility and excessive thirst[11].

Product or use
Aphrodisiac
Product or use
Carminative
Product or use
Digestive
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Emmenagogue
Product or use
Stimulant
Product or use
Tonic

Material uses

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

The tubers contain up to 30% of a non-drying oil, it is used in cooking and in making soap[16][19][2][3]. It does not solidify at 0°c and stores well without going rancid[19]. The leaves can be used for weaving hats and matting etc[6].

Product or use
Oil
Product or use
Weaving

Environment

Range
Original range is obscure, the plant is a widespread weed from the Tropics to the Temperate zone.
Habitat
Muddy soil and shallow water, also as a weed of cultivated ground in southern Europe[14].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
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[5]. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 18°c[5]. 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.

Prefers a moist sandy loam[21][2]. Plants are hardy to about -15°c[9]. The chufa, or tiger nut, is often cultivated for its edible tuber in warm temperate and tropical zones, there is a cultivated variety, var. sativus, that produces larger tubers[14]. We have had lots of problems with growing this cultivated form. Once the tubers come into growth then they normally grow vigorously, but the difficulty is getting them to come into growth. We harvest the tubers in the autumn and store them in moist sand, replanting them in the spring. However, they rarely come into new growth until mid to late summer which gives them too short a growing season to produce much of a crop[K]. We need to find a satisfactory way of storing the tubers and exciting them back into growth[K]. In warmer climates this plant is a serious weed of cultivation. It is much hardier than was once imagined and is becoming a weed in N. America where it is found as far north as Alaska[21]. The tubers are often formed a metre or more away from the plant, especially if it is growing in a heavy clay soil[4]. The tubers are extremely attractive to mice and require protection from them in the winter[K].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  3. Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986-00-00 ISBN 0704909820

    ↩

  4. McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

  7. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9

  8. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  10. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩

  11. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  12. Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8

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  13. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

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

    ↩1↩2

  15. Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973-00-00

    ↩

  16. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

    ↩

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

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  18. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩1↩2

  19. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  20. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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