Spermatophyta: Monocotyledonae: Poales

Cyperaceae - Sedge family

Browning, J. & Goetghebeur, P. (2017) Sedge (Cyperaceae) Genera of Africa and Madagascar Troubador (Matador), Leicester, UK

Browning, J. et al. (2020) Cyperaceae Flora Zambesiaca 14 198-199

Gibbs Russell, G.E. (1977) Keys to Vascular Aquatic Plants in Rhodesia Kirkia 10(2) 411-502

Gordon-Gray, K.D. (1995) Cyperaceae in Natal Strelitzia 2

Govaerts, R., Koopman, J., Simpson, D., Goetghebeur, P., Wilson, K., Egorova, T. & Bruhl, J. (2010) World Checklist of Cyperaceae The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet: http://www.kew.org/wcsp/ accessed 10 July 2010

Haines, R.W. & Lye, K. (1983) The Sedges and Rushes of East Africa East African Natural History Society, Nairobi, Kenya

Larridon, I., Reynders, M. & Thery, P. (2020) Cyperaceae; Introduction et Tribu I. Hypolytreae Flore d'Afrique Centrale Nouvelle Serie Jardin Botanique Meise, Belgique

Mesterházy, A., Browning, J. & Verloove, F. (2022) Cyperaceae of tropical West Africa Meise Botanic Garden

Description of the family

Annual or perennial herbs, usually most abundant in wet places. Culms usually triangular, usually solid. Leaves: alternate, usually 3-ranked, simple, grass-like or reduced to sheaths; sheath usually closed; ligule usually 0; lamina usually linear or setaceous. Inflorescence consisting of numerous spikelets, usually arranged in an anthela or panicle, often ± umbellate and subtended by leaf-like bracts. Flowers bisexual or unisexual, arising in the axils of a single bract (glume) without a bracteole, or in tribe Cariceae, the female flowers surrounded by a closed utricle. Glumes usually spirally arranged in 1-many-flowered spikelets. Perianth (only present in the tribes Scirpeae and Rhynchosporeae) consisting of 3-6 (rarely more) hairs, bristles or scales, in other tribes 0. Stamens (1-)2-3; anthers basifixed. Ovary superior, 1-locular with 1 erect ovule. Style simple; stigmas 2 or 3. Fruit a 1-seeded nut, biconvex or trigonous. Seeds free from the pericarp.

Worldwide: 98 genera and 4,350 species, cosmopolitan but especially temperate areas.

Mozambique: 27 genera and 138 taxa.

Links to genera: View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

Genus	Content
Abildgaardia Vahl	Description
Alinula J. Raynal	Description
Ascolepis Nees ex Steud.	Description
Bolboschoenus (Asch.) Palla	Description
Bulbostylis Kunth	Description
Carex L.	Description
Cladium P. Browne	Description
Coleochloa Gilly	Description
Costularia C.B. Clarke	Description
Courtoisina Soják	Description
Cyperus L.	Description, Image
Eleocharis R. Br.	Description
Ficinia Schrad.	Description
Fimbristylis Vahl	Description
Fuirena Rottb.	Description
Isolepis R. Br.	Description
Kyllinga Rottb.	Description
Kyllingiella R.W. Haines & Lye	Description
Lipocarpha R.Br.	Description, Image
Nemum Desv.	Description
Pycreus P. Beauv.	Description
Queenslandiella Domin	Description
Rhynchospora Vahl	Description
Schoenoplectiella Lye	Description
Schoenoplectus (Rchb.) Palla	Description
Scleria Bergius	Description
Zulustylis Muasya	Image

Other sources of information about Cyperaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Cyperaceae
Flora of Burundi: Cyperaceae
Flora of Caprivi: Cyperaceae
Flora of the DRC: Cyperaceae
Flora of Malawi: Cyperaceae
Flora of Rwanda: Cyperaceae
Flora of Zambia: Cyperaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Cyperaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Cyperaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Cyperaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Cyperaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Cyperaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Cyperaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Cyperaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Cyperaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Cyperaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Cyperaceae
Wikipedia: Cyperaceae
Plants of the World Online: Cyperaceae
Tropicos: Cyperaceae