yellow nutsedge
Cyperus esculentus
Its tubers, called 'tiger nuts', were cultivated in ancient Egypt and are the key ingredient in the traditional Spanish drink horchata.
- Scientific name
- Cyperus esculentus
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Poales › Cyperaceae › Cyperus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Wetlands, marshes, agricultural fields, and disturbed moist soils.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (requires sunlight, water, and soil nutrients).
- Range
- North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia
- Size
- 20 to 90 cm (8 to 35 inches) tall.
- Lifespan
- Perennial (tubers can remain viable underground for several years).
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Herbicide application and intensive agricultural cultivation, though it highly resists both.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. The plant is safe to touch, and its underground tubers (tiger nuts) are edible and sweet when washed. However, avoid harvesting from areas treated with herbicides or chemical runoff.
Cyperus esculentus (also called chufa sedge , nut grass , yellow nutsedge , tiger nut sedge , or earth almond ) is a crop of the sedge family widespread across much of the world. It is found in most of the Eastern Hemisphere, including Southern Europe, Africa and Madagascar, as well as the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
Photo: arthur_haendler, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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