Cyperus compressus
L.
Cyperaceae
Cyperus brachiatus Poir.
Cyperus caffer G.Bertol.
Cyperus giraudyi Steud.
Cyperus meyenii Nees & Arn.
Cyperus pectinatus Roxb.
Cyperus pectiniformis Schult.
Common Name:
General Information
Cyperus compressus is an annual, grass-like plant growing from a fibrous rootstock; it produces a dense tuft of culms around 5 - 35cm tall[
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, food and source of an essential oil. It is also planted ornamentally[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Cyperus compressus is widespread with stable populations and does not face any major threats. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2018)[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
Range
Widely distributed through the tropics and subtropics of the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands
Habitat
Grasslands, seashores, salt marshes, along trails, lake margins, forests, stony clefts, wet sandy riverbanks, open fields, paddy field margins; at elevations from near sea level to 900 metres, occasonally to 1,600 metres[
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
].
Properties
| Conservation Status | Least Concern |
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 0.25 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Cyperus compressus is native through most of the tropics, extending into subtropical regions in regions such as N. America and eastern Asia.
This plant forms stands in moist or wet sites. It is commonly found along riverbanks, lake margins, ponds and both permanent and seasonal pools. It also grows in roadside ditches and drainage trenches, in rice fields margins and on waste ground. It is considered a weed of cultivated and disturbed land in east Africa and Indian rice fields[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Edible Uses
The rhizomes are eaten both cooked and uncooked[
991- Title
- Cyperaceae of Economic, Ethnobotanical and Horticultural Importance: A Checklist
- Publication
- Kew Bulletin Vol. 56 No. 2, pp 257 - 360
- Author
- Simpson D.A.; Inglis C.A.
- Publisher
- The Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew, London
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 1-84246-038-2
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive checklist, giving the range, habitat and uses of over 500 species.
]. Mainly seen as a food for times of shortage[
991- Title
- Cyperaceae of Economic, Ethnobotanical and Horticultural Importance: A Checklist
- Publication
- Kew Bulletin Vol. 56 No. 2, pp 257 - 360
- Author
- Simpson D.A.; Inglis C.A.
- Publisher
- The Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew, London
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 1-84246-038-2
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive checklist, giving the range, habitat and uses of over 500 species.
].
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[
85- Title
- Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Harrington. H. D.
- Publisher
- University of New Mexico Press
- Year
- 1967
- ISBN
- 0-8623-0343-9
- Description
- A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.
].
Medicinal
In India the leaves are used as an antibiotic and a paste made from them is applied externally in the treatment of cutaneous affections[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
The roasted tubers are ground into a paste, then mixed with coconut oil and used for killing lice[
991- Title
- Cyperaceae of Economic, Ethnobotanical and Horticultural Importance: A Checklist
- Publication
- Kew Bulletin Vol. 56 No. 2, pp 257 - 360
- Author
- Simpson D.A.; Inglis C.A.
- Publisher
- The Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew, London
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 1-84246-038-2
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive checklist, giving the range, habitat and uses of over 500 species.
]
Other Uses
The plant is used to make essential oils[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
The rhizomes are used for scenting oil[
991- Title
- Cyperaceae of Economic, Ethnobotanical and Horticultural Importance: A Checklist
- Publication
- Kew Bulletin Vol. 56 No. 2, pp 257 - 360
- Author
- Simpson D.A.; Inglis C.A.
- Publisher
- The Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew, London
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 1-84246-038-2
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive checklist, giving the range, habitat and uses of over 500 species.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
