Uses
Edible uses
Notes
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[1][4][7].
The base of the plant can be used in salads[7]. (This probably means the base of the leaf stems[K])Leaves
Root
Material uses
Medicinal uses(Warning!)
Unknown part
Ecology
Ecosystem niche/layer
Ecological Functions
Nothing listed.
Forage
Nothing listed.
Shelter
Nothing listed.
Propagation
Practical Plants is currently lacking information on propagation instructions of Cyperus esculentus. Help us fill in the blanks! Edit this page to add your knowledge.
Cultivation
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[19]. 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[20]. 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[6]. The tubers are often formed a metre or more away from the plant, especially if it is growing in a heavy clay soil[21].
The tubers are extremely attractive to mice and require protection from them in the winter[K].Crops
Problems, pests & diseases
Associations & Interactions
There are no interactions listed for Cyperus esculentus. Do you know of an interaction that should be listed here? edit this page to add it.
Polycultures & Guilds
There are no polycultures listed which include Cyperus esculentus.
Descendants
Cultivars
Varieties
None listed.
Subspecies
None listed.
Full Data
This table shows all the data stored for this plant.
References
- ? 1.01.11.2 Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-20459-6 (1972-00-00)
- ? 2.02.1 Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 (1984-00-00)
- ? 3.03.1 Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health (1973-00-00)
- ? 4.04.14.2 Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold ISBN 0442222009 (1982-00-00)
- ? 5.05.1 Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press ISBN 0-8623-0343-9 (1967-00-00)
- ? 6.06.16.26.3 Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-23310-3 (1976-00-00)
- ? 7.07.17.27.37.47.57.67.77.87.9 Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 (1990-00-00)
- ? 8.08.1 F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (1951-00-00)
- ? 9.09.1 Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable ISBN 0094579202 (1974-00-00)
- ? 10.010.1 Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8 ()
- ? 11.011.1 Schery. R. W. Plants for Man. ()
- ? 12.012.112.2 Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation (1968-00-00)
- ? 13.013.113.2 Rosengarten. jnr. F. The Book of Edible Nuts. Walker & Co. ISBN 0802707699 (1984-00-00)
- ? 14.014.1 Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading ISBN 0704909820 (1986-00-00)
- ? 15.015.1 Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre ()
- ? 16.016.116.216.316.4 Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London ISBN 9-780751-303148 (1996-00-00)
- ? 17.017.1 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)
- ? 18.018.1 Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. (1990-00-00)
- ? 19.019.1 Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (1992-00-00)
- ? 20.020.1 ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press (1964-00-00)
- ? McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press ISBN 0-253-28925-4 (1977-00-00)
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