Kyllinga erecta

Schumach.

Great kyllingia

CyperaceaeRootsShoots

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Klementina Semprimožnik, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Max Hsieh(雁子), some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Stem base, Bulb, Rhizomes - flavouring, Root

The rhizomes are used as flavoring in sauces and similar dishes. The stem base, bulb, and roots are also edible parts.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows in wet grasslands and on the edges of water pools.

Africa, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mascarenes, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, South America, Swaziland, West Africa,

Countries: Angola, Argentina, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Chile, Cameroon, Colombia, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, French Guiana, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Kenya, Comoros, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Paraguay, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, Suriname, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, Uruguay, Venezuela, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A robust perennial sedge in the Cyperaceae family that grows in tropical wet grasslands and around water pools. The rhizomes are commercially traded in markets.

Medicinal Uses

The rhizome is used for flavoring.

Other Information

Rhizomes are sold in markets.

Notes

There are about 50 Kyllinga species.

Names & Synonyms

Angi, Njawa, Tonku

Cyperus erectus (Schumach.) Mattf. & KukKyllinga intricata? Kyllinga erecta var. intricata?

References (8)

Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 1. Kew.
Dalziel, J. M., 1937, The Useful plants of west tropical Africa. Crown Agents for the Colonies London.
Grivetti, L. E., 1980, Agricultural development: present and potential role of edible wild plants. Part 2: Sub-Saharan Africa, Report to the Department of State Agency for International Development. p 24
Harris, F. M. A. and Salisu Mohammed, 2003, Relying on nature: Wild Foods in Northern Nigeria. AMBIO Vol. 32 No. 1, p 27
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 15
Seidemann J., 2005, World Spice Plants. Economic Usage, Botany, Taxonomy. Springer. p 193
Simpson, D. A. & Inglis, C. A., 2001, Cyperaceae of Economic, Ethnobotanical and Horticultural Importance: A checklist. Kew Bulletin Vol. 56, No. 2 (2001), pp. 257-360
Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora