Kyllinga pumila

Michx.

CyperaceaeRoots

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

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Liu Idárraga Orozco, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Rhizome, Root, Rhizome - flavouring

The rhizome is chewed or used as a flavouring in food.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical and subtropical plant. It grows on the edge of pools of water. It grows in damp places in the savannah in West Africa.

Africa, Argentina, Belize, Burkina Faso, Central America, French Guiana, Ghana, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Mexico, Nigeria, North America, Panama, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, South America, Suriname, USA, Venezuela, West Africa,

Countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Angola, Argentina, Barbados, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bahamas, Botswana, Belize, Canada, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Chile, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Grenada, French Guiana, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Comoros, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, Suriname, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, El Salvador, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Trinidad & Tobago, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Uruguay, St Vincent, Venezuela, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

An annual sedge. It is a herb that forms tufts. It has short underground stems or rhizomes. The stems are swollen at the base. They grow 30-40 cm high.

Other Information

They are sold in markets.

Names & Synonyms

Ayaa-ayaa, Burzu

Cyperus densicaespitosus (Ridl.) Mattf. & KukCyperus densicaespitosus var. major (Nees) KukCyperus tenuifolius (Steud.) DandyHedychloa fragrans Raf.Kyllinga blepharinota Hochst. ex Engl.Kyllinga caespitosa Neesand several others

References (3)

Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 1. Kew. (As Kyllingia tenuifolia)
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), p. 324

What to Eat

Where to Find It

How to Identify

Other Information

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