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Home/Species/ Chufa Flatsedge

Cyperus esculentus

L.

Chufa Flatsedge

G5Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.131266
Element CodePMCYP06100
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderCyperales
FamilyCyperaceae
GenusCyperus
Other Common Names
Souchet comestible (FR) Yellow Nutsedge (EN) yellow nutsedge (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-08-01
Change Date1988-08-04
Edition Date2024-08-01
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Cyperus esculentus is a widespread, polymorphic species occurring in ruderal habitats in North America from Nova Scotia west to Ontario and British Columbia, Canada and the contiguous United States except Montana and Wyoming, and Mexico; it also occurs nearly worldwide in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Little is known about threats or trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Cyperus esculentus is a widespread, polymorphic species occurring in North America from Nova Scotia west to Ontario and British Columbia, Canada and the contiguous United States except Montana and Wyoming, and Mexico; it also occurs nearly worldwide in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia (FNA 2002). See individual entries for distribution details about the varieties.
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are thousands of occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Cyperus esculentus grows in disturbed soils, croplands, fields, roadsides, shores, dunes, and other disturbed areas (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Old fieldSand/dune
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
HawaiiSNANo
KentuckySNRYes
NevadaSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
New YorkSNRYes
MinnesotaSNANo
IowaS5Yes
New MexicoSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
IndianaS5Yes
KansasS5Yes
North DakotaSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
South CarolinaSNRYes
UtahSNANo
ColoradoSNANo
AlabamaSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
South DakotaSNRYes
North CarolinaS5Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
IdahoSNRYes
New JerseySNRYes
MississippiSNANo
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
IllinoisS5Yes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
GeorgiaSNANo
ConnecticutSNRYes
OregonSNANo
New HampshireSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
DelawareS5Yes
VermontS5Yes
FloridaSNRYes
West VirginiaS5Yes
ArizonaSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
VirginiaSNRYes
WashingtonSNRYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
New BrunswickS3Yes
OntarioS5Yes
Nova ScotiaSNANo
QuebecSNRYes
British ColumbiaSNANo
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (4)
New Mexico (3)
AreaForestAcres
Candian RiverCibola National Forest7,149
Capitan MountainsLincoln National Forest14,069
Meadow CreekGila National Forest34,167
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Sam Knob (addition)Pisgah National Forest2,576
References (6)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 23. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Cyperaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 608 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  6. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.