Boesman uintjie
Cyperus usitatus
Family: Cyperaceae
What it is like
A herb or sedge. It keeps growing from year to year. It has runners. It grows 45 cm high. The stalks are 10-30 cm long and 5-12 mm wide and triangle shaped. The leaf blades are 5-20 cm long by 2-6 mm wide. They are flat and rather thick. The bulbs are 6-10 mm across. They have a few thin scaled. The flowers are in crowded spikes.
Where it is found
It is a subtropical plant. It grows in hot arid areas with a marked dry season. It can be in shallow, sandy and seasonally waterlogged soils. It grows between 900-2,225 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Botswana, East Africa, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
The bulb is eaten raw. It is also cooked and eaten. It is used in soups and vegetable dishes. The bulbs are bitter unless cooked.
It is a famine food.
Edible parts
Bulb, tuber, root
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
Allaado, Engicha, Monakalali, Ozeu, Uintjie