Cyperaceae FAMILY

Cyperus congestus

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Cyperus congestus is a perennial, grass-like plant, producing a cluster of stems from a swollen, bulbous base; it can grow around 30 - 80cm tall. The plant appears to be annual in its first year, but regrows from a persistent rhizome[ 328 Title African Flowering Plants Database Publication Author Website http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php Publisher Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. Year 0 ISBN Description Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials. It is an important source of food for the Kung Bushmen of Namibia. The plant is sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeSouthern Africa - S. Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Zimbabwe

HabitatWaste places, damp streambanks and estuaries, moist depressions in grassland, margins of temporary water bodies, drainage ditches, and as a weed of disturbed areas[ 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. ].