Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Cyperus papyrus - Papyrus sedge

Edible portion : Rhizome, Root, Culms, Stems, Shoots, Vegetable, Spice

A sedge. These grow in clumps and have grass like leaves and solid stalks. It is an erect herb which grows in tufts. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 2.5 m tall. It has a short, thick, woody underground stem or rhizome. The stems are triangle shaped. The leaves are reduced to brown sheaths. There are 4-10 flowering bracts. These are 7-15 cm long. They are about 1 cm wide. The flower is compound with over 100 branches 10-25 cm long. Each has a sheath like bract 3-5 cm long near the base. There are also 3-5 bracts about 20 cm long at the tip. When the flowers are fertile there are 3-5 spikes with 20-30 spikelets. Each spikelet has 3-20 flowers. These are 1 cm long by 1 mm wide. The nut is 3 sided and brown.

Distribution : It needs tropical conditions. It grows in marshy habitats and lakes. It will grow in slow flowing water. It will grow in water up to 1 m deep. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 9-12.