Fragrant flatsedge (Cyperus odoratus)

Fragrant flatsedge (Cyperus odoratus) is a species of plant in Cyperaceae, perennial shrub, erect, about 50 cm tall but known to grow much taller, triangular or cylindrical stems, green in color and growing in loose colonies around water.

C. odoratus has several leaves around the base, usually 3-6 strands, long ribbon-shaped with three folds, pointed tip, rough surface and margins, green.





The inflorescence consists of one to several cylindrical spikes attached to the same point. Each nail has a large number of flat, oval-shaped spikes.

Each spikelet is usually light brown to reddish brown in color and has several to more than 20 flowers. Each flower is covered by a hard, flat bract with a visible central vein. The fruit is a flattened achene less than 2 mm long.

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 odoratus L. in Sp. Pl.: 46 (1753)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Diclidium odoratum (L.) Schrad. ex Nees in C.F.P.von Martius & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Bras. 2(1): 54 (1842)
Papyrus odorata (L.) Willd. in Abh. Königl. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1812-1813: 73 (1816)
Papyrus odorata (L.) Kunth in F.W.H.von Humboldt, A.J.A.Bonpland & C.S.Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp. 1: 217 (1816)
Torulinium odoratum (L.) S.S.Hooper in Kew Bull. 26: 579 (1972)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Cyperus bracteolatus Steud. in Syn. Pl. Glumac. 2: 49 (1854)
Cyperus californicus S.Watson in S.Watson & al., Bot. California 2: 216 (1880)
Cyperus carruthii Alph.Wood in B.B.Smyth, Checkl. Pl. Kansas: 26 (1892)
Cyperus consocius Steud. ex Jard. in Mém. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg 5: 299 (1857)
Cyperus cubanus Liebm. in Mexic. Halvgr.: 222 (1850)
Cyperus densiflorus G.Mey. in Prim. Fl. Esseq.: 34 (1818)
Cyperus distans G.Mey. (1818)
Cyperus eggersii Boeckeler in Beitr. Cyper. 1: 53 (1888)
Cyperus eggersii var. laticeps Kük. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenr., IV, 20(Heft 101): 623 (1936)
Cyperus erythrorhizus Torr. in Fl. N. Middle United States 1: 61 (1823)
Cyperus familiaris Steud. (1854)
Cyperus ferax var. bulbifer Barros in Anales Mus. Argent. Ci. Nat. "Bernardino Rivadavia" 39: 371 (1938)
Cyperus ferax var. densiflorus (G.Mey.) Kük. (1936)
Cyperus ferax var. maximiliani (Schrad. ex Nees) Boeckeler in Linnaea 36: 400 (1870)
Cyperus ferax var. novae-hannoverae (Boeckeler) Kük. in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 59: 4, 46 (1924)
Cyperus ferax f. parvus (Boeckeler) Kük. (1936)
Cyperus ferax subsp. speciosus (Vahl) Kük. (1936)
Cyperus ferax var. squarrosus (Britton) Kük. (1936)
Cyperus ferox Vahl in Enum. Pl. Obs. 2: 357 (1805)
Cyperus ferruginescens Boeckeler (1870)
Cyperus flavicomus Pursh in Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 53 (1813)
Cyperus flexuosus Griseb. in Fl. Brit. W. I.: 566 (1864)
Cyperus fossarum Liebm. (1850)
Cyperus fossarum Schltdl. in Linnaea 31: 316 (1862)
Cyperus fragilis Liebm. (1850)
Cyperus granadinus Liebm. (1850)
Cyperus haenkei J.Presl & C.Presl in Reliq. Haenk. 1: 172 (1828)
Cyperus hamiltonii Kunth in Enum. Pl. 2: 90 (1837)
Cyperus horizontalis Steud. (1854)
Cyperus huarmensis (Kunth) M.C.Johnst. in S. W. Naturalist 11: 124 (1966)
Cyperus jubaeiflorus Rudge in Pl. Guian.: 17 (1805)
Cyperus laetus var. obtusiflorus Boeckeler in Allg. Bot. Z. Syst. 2: 2 (1896)
Cyperus lenticularis Steud. (1854)
Cyperus lomentaceus Nees & Meyen ex Kunth (1837)
Cyperus longispicatus Norton in Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 12: 37 (1902)
Cyperus lucidus Kunth (1837)
Cyperus macrocephalus var. eggersii (Boeckeler) S.D.Jones, Wipff & R.Carter in Phytologia 80: 289 (1996)
Cyperus maximiliani (Schrad. ex Nees) Griseb. in Abh. Königl. Ges. Wiss. Göttingen 24: 311 (1879)
Cyperus michauxianus Schult. in Mant. 2: 123 (1824)
Cyperus multibracteatus Boeckeler in Flora 58: 107 (1875)
Cyperus multiceps Hook. & Arn. in Bot. Beechey Voy.: 100 (1832)
Cyperus nitidulus Boeckeler (1870)
Cyperus nortonii A.Heller in Muhlenbergia 6: 12 (1910)
Cyperus novae-hannoverae Boeckeler in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 5: 91 (1883)
Cyperus odoratus var. attenuatus Fosberg & Sachet in Micronesica 20: 167 (1987)
Cyperus odoratus var. curtispiculus Fosberg & Sachet (1987)
Cyperus odoratus var. novae-hannoverae (Boeckeler) Fosberg & Sachet (1987)
Cyperus odoratus subsp. odoratus
Cyperus odoratus var. squarrosus (Britton) S.D.Jones, Wipff & R.Carter (1996)
Cyperus oerstedii Liebm. (1850)
Cyperus parvispiculatus Boeckeler (1888)
Cyperus parvus Boeckeler (1870)
Cyperus pennatus Boeckeler (1870)
Cyperus phleoides Seem. in Fl. Vit.: 319 (1868)
Cyperus poeoides Desv. in W.Hamilton, Prodr. Pl. Ind. Occid.: 12 (1825)
Cyperus pohlianus (Nees) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 3(2): 334 (1898)
Cyperus prescottianus Hook. & Arn. (1832)
Cyperus pseudostrigosus Steud. (1854)
Cyperus raiateensis J.W.Moore in Bull. Bernice P. Bishop Mus. 102: 19 (1933)
Cyperus raphiostachys Link in Jahrb. Gewächsk. 1(3): 87 (1820)
Cyperus reineckei Boeckeler in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 25: 585 (1898)
Cyperus rufinus Liebm. (1850)
Cyperus sanctae-crucis Liebm. (1850)
Cyperus speciosus Torr. in W.H.Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound., Bot.: 226 (1859)
Cyperus speciosus Vahl (1805)
Cyperus speciosus var. ferruginescens (Boeckeler) Britton in Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 5: 61 (1894)
Cyperus speciosus var. parvus Britton in Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 13: 214 (1886)
Cyperus speciosus var. squarrosus Britton (1886)
Cyperus stellatus Rudge (1805)
Cyperus vahlii Boeckeler (1870)
Cyperus virginicus Jacq. ex Steud. (1854)
Diclidium auriculatum Nees (1842)
Diclidium lenticulare Schrad. ex Nees (1842)
Diclidium lomentaceum Nees (1842)
Diclidium maximiliani Schrad. ex Nees (1842)
Diclidium reinwardtii Schrad. ex Nees (1842)
Diclidium uliginosum Schrad. ex Nees (1842)
Mariscus familiaris (Steud.) T.Koyama in Phytologia 29: 73 (1974)
Mariscus huarmensis Kunth (1816)
Mariscus pohlianus Nees (1842)
Mariscus rhaphiostachys Liebm. (1850)
Torulinium confertum Desv. (1825)
Torulinium eggersii (Boeckeler) C.B.Clarke in I.Urban, Symb. Antill. 2: 56 (1900)
Torulinium macrocephalum var. davidsei C.D.Adams in Phytologia 63: 300 (1987)
Torulinium macrocephalum var. eggersii (Boeckeler) C.D.Adams in Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 78: 254 (1991)
Torulinium michauxianum C.B.Clarke (1900)

PUBLICATIONS

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Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.

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Castroviejo, S. & al. (eds.) (2008). Flora Iberica 18: 1-420. Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC, Madrid.

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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.

Greuter, W. & Raus, T. (eds.) (2008). Med-Checklist Notulae, 27. Willdenowia 38: 465-474.

Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.

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.

Iwatsuki, K., Boufford, D.E. & Ohba, H. (eds.) (2020). Flora of Japan IVa: 1-430. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.

Knapp, W.M. & Naczi, R.F.C. (2021). Vascular plants of Maryland, USA. A comprehensive account of the state's botanical diversity. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 113: 1-151.

Lye, K.A. & Thery, P. (2012). Flore du Gabon 44: 1-230. Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris; Margraf Publishers, Weikersheim; Meise Botanic Garden.

Mesterházy, A., Browning, J. & Verloove, F. (2022). Cyperaceae of tropical West Africa: 1-532. Meise Botanic Garden.

Middleton, D.J. & al. (eds.) (2019). Flora of Singapore 7: 1-525. Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Pandey, R.P. & Dilwakar, P.G. (2008). An integrated check-list flora of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 403-500.

Pasha, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Pereira-Silva, L., Larridon, I., de Oliveira Ribeiro, A.R., Santos, V.M. & Trevisan, R. (2022). Diversity and taxonomy of Cyperus (Cyperaceae) in the Central-West region of Brazil. Annals from the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 480-545. MBG press.

Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.

Powell, A.M. & Worthington, R.D. (2018). Flowering plants of Trans-Pecos Texas and adjacent areas: 1-1444. BRIT Press.

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Standley, L.A. (2025). Cyperus engelmannii in New England. Rhodora. Journal of the New England Botanical Club 126: 178-182.

Velayos, M., Aedo, C., Cabezas, F., de la Estrella, M., Barberá, P. & Fero, M. (eds.) (2014). Flora de Guinea Ecuatorial 11: 1-416. Consejo superior de investigaciones científicas, Real jardín botánico, Madrid.

Verloove, F. (2014). A conspectus of Cyperus s.l. (Cyperaceae) in Europe (incl. Azores, Madeira and Canary islands), with emphasis on non-native naturalised species. Webbia; Raccolta de Scritti Botanici 69: 179-223.

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Whistler, W.A. (2022). Flora of Samoa Flowering Plants: 1-930. National Tropical Botanicl Garden. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

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

de Moura Júnior, E.G. & al. (2015). Updated checklist of aquatic macrophytes from Northern Brazil. Acta Amazonica 45: 111-132.

VERNACULAR NAME

Chinese (simplified): 断节莎
Chinese (traditional): 斷節莎
English: Fragrant flatsedge, Rusty flatsedge
Filipino: Biliran, Pulak-galau
French: Souchet odorant
Hebrew: גומא ריחני
Hong Kong: 斷節莎
Indonesia: Rorisan, Teki sungai
Italian: Zigolo odoroso
Japanese: キンガヤツリ
Java: Teki Kali, Teki wangi
Macao: 斷節莎
Madura: Tiang payung
Palauan: Torkltoi, Keskurabelau
Spanish: Hierba del zopilote
Sumatera: Rorisan
Taiwan: 斷節莎
Thai: กกขจร

Aryo Bandoro
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