Cyperus maculatus

Family: Cyperaceae

What it is like

A sedge. It is a herb that keeps growing from year to year. It has hard round tubers and underground stems or rhizomes. The stalks rise from the tubers.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in sandy areas near water. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sahel, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, West Africa, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The rhizomes and culms are cooked and eaten.

It is a famine food.

Edible parts

Rhizomes, culms, tubers, stems, root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Guenun, Kulisaa, Tiacktal

Synonyms

Cyperus heudelotii C. B. Clarke; and others