Cyperus rotundus L.

This species is accepted, and its native range is Tropical & Subtropical Old World. It is used as animal food, a poison and a medicine, has environmental uses and for food.

[UPFC]

Distribution: Biogeografic region: Caribbean. Elevation range: 0–1000 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Atlántico, Bolívar, Cesar, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Magdalena, Meta, San Andrés y Providencia, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
Habit: Herb.
Conservation: IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.
Ecology: Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: shrubland.
Vernacular: Coquito, Corocillo

[FWTA]

Cyperaceae, Miss S. S. Hooper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit: Common weed
Vegetative Multiplication Rhizomes: Slender, elongated rhizomes
Vegetative Multiplication Tubers: Rounded, fibre-covered tubers at the stem bases
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Large spikelets, characteristically dark red-brown, in short spikes
Ecology: Cultivated and other damp places.

[FTEA]

Cyperaceae, K Hoenselaar, B. Verdcourt & H. Beentje. Hypolytrum, D Simpson. Fuirena, M Muasya. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2010

Type: Type: India, Herb. Hermann 1, 3: 36 (BM, lecto., chosen by Tucker in Syst. Bot. Monogr. 43: 100 (1994))
Morphology General Habit: Perennial or sometimes seemingly annual, 10–100 cm tall, gregarious, but not clump-forming, with a somewhat swollen culm-base arising from rather thick scalecovered stolons; nodules on roots white turning brown; culms few, green, 1–3 mm wide, triangular, glabrous
Morphology Leaves: Leaves glossy green. Leaf blade linear, 10–40 × 0.2–0.8 cm wide, slightly M-shaped in cross-section, scabrid on margin and major veins, attenuate Leaf sheath green to reddish-brown.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts: Involucral bracts leaf-like, 1–5, erect or spreading, lowermost 3–26 cm long, 2–9 mm wide
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Inflorescence a simple to compound anthela, primary branches 1–8, 0.5–12 cm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets: Spikelets in rather dense clusters, 3–15 per cluster, bright to golden to dark brown, linear-lanceolate and slightly flattened, 6–70 mm long, 1–2.5 mm wide, rachilla straight, remaining attached to rachis while lower glumes and nutlets are shed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume: Glumes pale to dark reddish brown, ovate, 2.7–4.3 mm long, keel green, glabrous or slightly scabrid, with 1–2 veins on either side, apex obtuse
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens: Stamens 3, yellow, 1.6–2.2 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style: Style white, 3-branched
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Nutlet greyish to brown, obovoid, trigonous, 1.3–1.7 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide, minutely papillose
Figures: Fig. 32, p212
Ecology: Swamps, damp sites, riverbanks, drainage lines in coastal bush or forest glades, common weed in rice and maize fields, seasonally wet grassland; 0–1950 m
Conservation: Least Concern
Note: After looking at all the East African material available, a few hundred specimens, I believe that for East Africa we are dealing with a single taxon, rotundus, with a few colour forms (and this was the basis on which specimens were mostly sorted, I think), and some variability in spikelet length and cross-section (the latter character used for distinguishing tuberosus) as well as in glume length. I am quite unable to write any key to the various forms that works on the bulk of the material; of course, the extremes are distinct, but there are more intermediate specimens than there are extreme ones. There are no constant qualitative characters separating the taxa, and hardly any convincing quantitative ones, either; geographically and habitat-wise there are no differences. Therefore I am reducing these names into synonyms of rotundus. Regarding the merkeri taxon, C.B. Clarke, when describing his new species C. merkeri only compared it to an unknown taxon, C. neuerensis; he gave the length of the culm as 30 cm. Kükenthal in E.P. 4, 20 (101) combined what was a full species ( merkeri) into a subspecies of rotundus. He did not give a key, but from his brief descriptions we can see he thought this subspecies differed from the typical one in longer culms (45–60 cm rather than 15–30 cm), and darker-coloured spikelets (dark dull red, rather than brown or dull red). Haines & Lye distinguished these two subspecies (again, without giving a key) by ‘its shorter glumes with a usually much darker colour’: glumes 2.7–3.2, rather than 3.3–4.3 mm; description of glume colour in the text overlaps for the two subspecies. Haines & Lye kept up four subspecies and varieties, based on Kükenthal taxa; Kükenthal had combined these taxa into C. rotundus. Differences between the taxa were only expressed in short sentences (rather than a key) and these have given me problems. Colour and degree of compression of the spikelet, plus glume length and glume apex configuration, were the characters used to distinguish these four taxa. Finally the taxon tuberosus was distinguished from rotundus by the original author, Rottbøll, based on a leafy (not almost leafless) culm base, a sub-simple anthela, and terete spikelets. Haines & Lye suggested that this subspecies “is very closely related to subsp. rotundus” but kept the taxa separate based on slightly longer and more acute glumes, and less terete spikelets, in tuberosus. A taxon decribed from coastal Kenya, var. taylorii, was said to differ in the tall culms (30–50 cm, quite within the range of typical rotundus); the large congested head, 3–6 cm wide of many crowded up to 3 cm long spikelets (again, well within normal range) and obtuse glumes 4–5 mm long (rather on the long side, but not excessively so). It was known only from the type.
Distribution: Range: Widespread in Africa; India Flora districts: U1 U2 U3 U4 K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 Z

[UNAL]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular: chivasa, coco, coquillo, coquito, cortadera, junco de coquito

[CPLC]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution: Naturalizada en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 1000 m.; Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit: Hierba
Conservation: Preocupación Menor

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit: Medium-sized perennial with a somewhat swollen (sometimes tuber-like) stem-base arising from slender to fairly robust stolons with rather remote scales
Morphology Stem: Stems 25–80 cm long and 1–4 mm thick, glabrous, triangular with many crowded leaves in the basal part
Morphology Leaves: Largest leaf-blades 15–40 cm long and 4–8 mm wide, flat or enrolled, scabrid at least on margin and major ribs; leaf-sheaths green to brown
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Spikes 1–5 x 1.5–7 cm with 4–15 erect or spreading spikelets Inflorescence a 3–15 cm long and 2–12 cm wide anthela consisting of 1(–many) sessile and 1–8 stalked spikes on 0.5–12 cm long peduncles with or without secondary spikes from the base of primary spikes; inflorescence-bracts 1–7, leafy, erect or spreading, the largest 3–20 cm long and 2–9 mm wide
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets: Spikelets 6–70 x 1–2.5(–4) mm, linear-lanceolate, light to dark reddish brown with 8–35 flowers
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume: Glumes 2.7–4.3 mm long, ovate, almost uncoloured or light to dark reddish brown with or without a narrow uncoloured margin and 1–2 nerves on each side of the midrib; midrib green, glabrous or scabrid ending in or below the obtuse apex
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style: Style 3-branched
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Nutlet 1.5–1.8 x 0.7–1 mm, obovate, triangular, greyish, minutely papillose.
Distribution: N2, 3; C2; S1–3 pantropical, andtemperate regions.
Ecology: Near sea-level to 500 m.
Vernacular: Gocondho, quunje (Somali).
Note: This is a very variable species, particularly as regards the colour and size of the glumes. The following subspecies apparently occur in Somalia: subsp. rotundus with 3.3–4.3 mm long light to dark reddish brown glumes, subsp. tuberosus (Rottb.) Kük. with 3.7–4 mm long light brown to uncoloured glumes, and subsp. merkeri (C.B. Cl.) Kük. with 2.7–3.2 mm long dark reddish brown to almost blackish glumes. Most collections are, however, too young to be referable to any of the subspecies.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit: Robust perennial producing solitary stems from the end of 5–10 cm long and 1–2 mm thick stolons with 10–15 mm long prominent scales
Morphology Stem: Stem 30–60 cm long and 2–5 mm thick, triangular, glabrous
Morphology Leaves: Leaves usually 4–5 from the basal 10–20 cm; the sheaths grey, wide and loose; blades 15–30 cm long and 7–10 mm wide, flat, scabrid on margin and midrib
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Inflorescence a 5–15 cm long and 4–15 cm wide lax anthela consisting of 1 sessile spike subtended by 2–10 stalked spikes or new groups of sessile and stalked spikes on up to 12 cm long peduncles; involucral bracts usually 3, leafy Spikes 1–3 x 2–4 cm with 5–10 spreading spikelets
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets: Spikelets 6–15 x 2–3 mm, linear or linear-lanceolate, spreading
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume: Glumes 3.5–4 mm long, ovate, greyish to medium reddish brown with a pale marginal border and a green midrib excurrent into a short straight or recurved mucro; lateral nerves 3–4
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style: Style 3-branched
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Nutlet c. 1 x 0.6 mm, obovate, triangular, as young brownish, as mature dark grey to almost black, minutely papillose.
Distribution: N1, 2; Sudan
Ecology: Altitude range 15–930 m.

[FWTA]

Cyperaceae, Miss S. S. Hooper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Diagnostic: Similar to C. rotundus Linn. but with somewhat laxer spikes of more numerous acute spikelets of longer, lanceolate, acute glumes
Ecology: Damp grassy and waste places.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Type: N3, “Dudo” in “Shol” plain, Merla, Azzaroli & Fois s.n. (FT holo.)
Morphology General Habit: Robust perennial; stems 30–40 cm long and 1.5–3 mm thick
Morphology Leaves: Leaf-blades to 40 cm long and 4-8 mm wide, flat
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Inflorescence a lax anthela to c. 10 cm long and wide, consisting of many sessile as well as stalked spikes or clusters of spikes Spikes c. 2 x 3–4 cm, consisting of 4–10 spikelets mostly spreading at right angles; rhachis 1–5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets: Spikelets 15–22 x 3–4 mm, linear, 20–25-flowered; rhachilla prominently zigzag with rather widely spaced flowers
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume: Glumes 3–3.5 mm long, ovate, reddish brown without pallid margin, with 3–5 slender nerves on each side of the green midrib which is excurrent into a c. 0.2–0.3 mm long mucro
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style: Style 3-branched
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Nutlet 1.8 x 0.7–0.8 mm, obovate, prominently triangular, greyish, minutely papillose.
Distribution: N3 not known elsewhere.
Ecology: Altitude range 350–400 m.

[UPFC]

Use Animal Food: Used as animal food.
Use Environmental: Environmental uses.
Use Gene Sources: Used as gene sources.
Use Food: Used for food.
Use Materials: Used as material.
Use Medicines: Medical uses.
Use Poisons: Poisons.

[FTEA]

Use: Root nodules roasted and eaten ( Harwood 60), or used as beads by Turkana ( Mwangangi 1446); roots chewed raw for coughs and colds ( Meyerhoff 74)

Native to:

Afghanistan, Albania, Aldabra, Algeria, Andaman Is., Angola, Assam, Austria, Azores, Baleares, Bangladesh, Benin, Borneo, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burkina, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Caprivi Strip, Caroline Is., Central African Repu, Chad, Chagos Archipelago, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Comoros, Congo, Corse, Cyprus, Djibouti, East Aegean Is., East Himalaya, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Free State, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., Gulf States, Hainan, Hawaii, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jawa, Kazakhstan, Kazan-retto, Kenya, Kirgizstan, Korea, Kriti, KwaZulu-Natal, Lebanon-Syria, Lesotho, Lesser Sunda Is., Libya, Madagascar, Madeira, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Maluku, Manchuria, Marianas, Marshall Is., Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Mozambique Channel I, Myanmar, Namibia, Nansei-shoto, Nepal, New South Wales, Nicobar Is., Niger, Nigeria, North Caucasus, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Ogasawara-shoto, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Portugal, Queensland, Rodrigues, Romania, Rwanda, Réunion, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Selvagens, Senegal, Seychelles, Sicilia, Sierra Leone, Sinai, Socotra, Somalia, South Australia, South China Sea, Spain, Sri Lanka, St.Helena, Sudan, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Togo, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Turks-Caicos Is., Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Wake I., West Himalaya, Western Australia, Western Sahara, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Alabama, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Arizona, Arkansas, Aruba, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, California, Cayman Is., Central American Pac, Chile Central, Christmas I., Colombia, Cook Is., Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Florida, French Guiana, Galápagos, Georgia, Great Britain, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kentucky, Kermadec Is., Leeward Is., Line Is., Louisiana, Maldives, Marquesas, Mexican Pacific Is., Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mississippi, Missouri, Nauru, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Mexico, New York, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Is., North Carolina, Panamá, Peru, Phoenix Is., Puerto Rico, Samoa, Society Is., South Carolina, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Tennessee, Texas, Tokelau-Manihiki, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Tuamotu, Tubuai Is., Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Virginia, Wallis-Futuna Is., Windward Is.

English: Nutgrass, Nutsedge, Purple nutsedge