Herb: Slender Cyperus


Latin name: Cyperus distans


Family: Cyperaceae (Sedge Family)



Medicinal use of Slender Cyperus:

The juice of the root is used in the treatment of fevers.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
50 cm
(1 foot)

Flowering:
August to
September

Habitat of the herb:

Open sunny places to elevations of 1300 metres in Nepal.

Edible parts of Slender Cyperus:

Tuber - raw or cooked. Eaten in sauces.

Other uses of the herb:

The leaves are used for weaving hats, matting etc.

Propagation of Slender Cyperus:

Seed - surface sow in the spring and keep the compost moist. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 18°C. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. Grow on for their first winter in a greenhouse and plant them out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Division in spring or autumn. This is more a matter of harvesting the tubers and replanting them. If this is done in the autumn, then it is best to store the tubers in a cool frost-free place overwinter and plant them out in the spring.

Cultivation of the herb:

Open sunny places to elevations of 1300 metres in Nepal.

Known hazards of Cyperus distans:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.