Purple Nutsedge
Cyperus rotundus
Plant Description
A perennial sedge with erect flowering stems and smooth, swollen basal bulbs. Leaves with distinct midrib, usually shorter than the flowering stem. Fibrous roots and dark wry rhizomes, and dark brown to black tubers. The inflorescence is an open umbel wth numerous purple spikelets.
Plant Details
| Life Forms | |
|---|---|
| Habitats | |
| ODA Listing | |
| Soil and Moisture Conditions | |
| Suggested Actions | |
| Shade Preference | |
| Mature Height | 2' |
| Distribution | Found in the souteast US and Arizone and California. Not known to exist in Oregon. |
| Control | If you find this plant, report it to OregonInvasivesHotline.org. |
| Reproduction and Spread | Spreads by tubers formed on creeping underground rhizomes. A single tuber could produce 99 tubers in 90 days. |
| Introduced | Accidentally introduced to the US in the 1800s. |
| Impact | A world top-10 agricultural weed. Infests river bottom areas that are critical for food production in developing countries. Forms turions that resist treatment and tillage. |
| More Info |
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