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Umbrella papyrus (Cyperus alternifolius)

Dlium Umbrella papyrus (Cyperus alternifolius)

Umbrella grass (Cyperus alternifolius) is a plant species in Cyperaceae, like a very large grass, umbrella-shaped canopy, grows in dry soil and waterlogged, often cultivated as an ornamental plant throughout the world.

C. alternifolius grows to form clumps, has a height of 1-2 m and the top part is composed of protective leaves that shade the flower arrangements. The stem is hollow, unbranched, long, tubular with many linear angles, dark green, hard and sturdy but flexible.





The leaves are arranged radially, stacked and each stem has 10-25 strands. A large bone and several veins are parallel to a length of 15-40 cm and a width of 1.3 cm, a jagged edge, a pointed tip, a rough surface and green.

Spikelet flowers, forming clusters, have long and green stems, crowns shaped in coarse grains, sit on the ends of the stems, greenish brown and come out of the axil bractea or the sides of the bractea.

This species grows well in swamps, along the shores of lakes and rivers, elevations up to 2500 meters, rainfall 100-4200 mm/year, temperature 20-30C, soil pH 6.0-8.5, full sun but shade tolerant partial, fertile and wet soil or a puddle of 30 cm.

Plants contain the alkaloids tyramine, octopamine, essential oils (caryophyllene oxide, cyperene, 1,8-cineole, humulene epoxide II, aristolene, and aromadendrene epoxide II). The root is used as an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial.

Often used to treat certain eye diseases, prevent malignant ulcers from spreading in the mouth or elsewhere, heal wounds, cure cancer, care for pregnant women, treat edema, female infertility, coughs, act as an antioxidant and conditioner for the skin.

This plant is also used as a source material for making paper, woven cloth, binding ropes, webbing, brooms, mattresses, pillows, fences and roofs. The pith is consumed as food, while the starchy rhizomes and lower stem pieces can be consumed raw, boiled or roasted.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Subfamily: Cyperoideae
Tribe: Cypereae
Genus: Cyperus L. in Sp. Pl.: 44 (1753)
Species: Cyperus alternifolius L. in Mant. Pl. 1: 28 (1767)
Subspecies: Cyperus alternifolius subsp. alternifolius, Cyperus alternifolius subsp. flabelliformis Kük., Cyperus alternifolius subsp. textilis (Thunb.) Verloove

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Cyperus frondosus Salisb. in Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 30 (1796)
Eucyperus alternifolius (L.) Rikli in Jahrb. Wiss. Bot. 27: 568 (1895)

PUBLICATIONS

Baksh-Comeau, Y., Maharaj, S.S., Adams, C.D., Harris, S.A., Filer, D.L. & Hawthorne, W.D. (2016). An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Trinidad and Tobago with analysis of vegetation types and botanical 'hotspots'. Phytotaxa 250: 1-431.

Boulos, L. (2005). Flora of Egypt 4: 1-617. Al Hadara Publishing, Cairo. Brundu, G. & Camarda, I. (2013). The Flora of Chad: a checklist and brief analysis. PhytoKeys 23: 1-18.

Buragohain, S. & Sarma, G.C. (2009). The exotic weeds of Guwahati, Assam and their role in employment generation. Pleione 3(1): 45-49.

Gosline, G., Bidault, E., van der Burgt, X., Cahen, D., Challen, G., Condé, N., Couch, C., Couvreur, T.L.P., Dagallier, L.M.J., Darbyshire, I., Dawson, S., Doré, T.S., Goyder, D., Grall, A., Haba, P., Haba, P., Harris, D., Hind, D.J.N., Jongkind, & al. (2023). A Taxonomically-verified and Vouchered Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea. Nature, scientific data 10, Article number: 327: [1]-[12].

Govaerts, R. & Simpson, D.A. (2007). World Checklist of Cyperaceae. Sedges: 1-765. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.

Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., Ortiz, R.D.C., Callejas Posada, R. & Merello, M. (eds.) (2011). Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 1-939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín.

Kuo, M.L. (ed.) (2012). Flora of Taiwan, ed. 2, Suppl.: 1-414. Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan, Second Edition, National Taiwan University.

MacKee, H.S. (1994). Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie, ed. 2: 1-164. Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris.

Schäfer, H. (2021). Flora of the Azores a field guide: 1-445. Margraf Publishers GmbH.

Sita, P. & Moutsambote, J.-M. (2005). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Congo, ed. sept. 2005: 1-158. ORSTOM, Centre de Brazzaville.

Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mt. Mulanje, Malawi. Scripta Botanica Belgica 34: 1-199.

Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2010). Flora of China 23: 1-515. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

VERNACULAR NAME

Austria: Zypergras, Zyperngras
Catalan: Paraigüets
Chinese (simplified): 野生风车草
Chinese (traditional): 光稈輪傘莎草 - 旱傘竹
Czech: šáchor střídavolistý
Danish: Nilgræs
Dutch: Kattengras
English: Umbrella Papyrus, Umbrella flat sedge, Umbrella palm
French: Souchet à feuilles alternes
German: Zypergras, Zyperngras
Guangdong: 旱傘竹 - 光稈輪傘莎草
Hebrew: גומא מניפני (תרבותי)
Hong Kong: 旱傘竹 - 光稈輪傘莎草
Indonesia: Rumput payung, Papirus, Rumput Payung, Siprus, Bintang Air
Italian: Falso papiro, Cipero ornamentale
Japanese: シュロガヤツリ - 広義
Java: Payung Mutho
Macao: 旱傘竹 - 光稈輪傘莎草
Nepali: छाता मोथे
Polish: Cibora Zmienna
Portuguese: Papiro-sombrinha
Russian: Сыть очерёднолистная - Сыть очереднолистная
Slovak: šachor striedavolistý
Spanish: Paragüitas de Madagascar
Swedish: Parasollsäv
Taiwan: 旱傘竹 - 光稈輪傘莎草
Thai: กกรังกา
Turkish: Japon Şemsiyesi

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium
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