Cyperus squarrosus

Awned cyperus, Bearded flatsedge

CyperaceaeRoots

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Tubers, Roots

Tuber - raw or cooked. A starchy flavour. Small We have no specific information for this species, but it is said that the inner base of the young stems of all species in this genus can be eaten raw, and make an excellent survival food in times of need.

Where to Find It

It is a warm temperate to tropical plant. It grows in seasonally dry areas. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 2,500m above sea level.

Africa, Argentina, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, South America, Uruguay, Afghanistan, Africa, Andaman Is., Angola, Argentina, Aruba, Assam, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina, Burundi, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo DR, Cuba, Himalayas, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Leeward Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Socotra, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Togo, Turks-Caicos Is., Uganda, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bhutan, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Chile, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Cuba, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, French Guiana, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Kenya, Comoros, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Myanmar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nepal, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, Suriname, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

An annual sedge found in warm temperate to tropical regions, growing in seasonally dry areas from sea level to 2,500 m elevation in places like Argentina.

How to Grow

Prefers a moist sandy loam. The dried plant is fragrant. The plant has a strong aroma of Aloe tincture.

Other Uses

The leaves are used for weaving hats, matting etc.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Cyperus squarrosus is a species of sedge known by several common names, including bearded flatsedge and awned flatsedge. It is found in wet environments in North and South America, Africa, Australia, southern Asia (China, India, Saudi Arabia, Indochina, etc.) and Italy.

Names & Synonyms

Barba-de-bonde

Dichostylis squarrosa (L.) Pallaand several others

References (2)

Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 294
Kew Plants of the World On line