Cyperus iria Seeds | Rice Flatsedge

Rice Flatsedge seeds (Cyperus iria)

LATIN NAME: Cyperus iria

COMMON NAME: Rice Flatsedge

Plant Profile

Rice Flatsedge (Cyperus iria) is a tufted, annual in the sedge family. Plant steadily develops a dense, tufted clump, often reaching 30-60 cm. It does well in sun and shallow, standing water. Given room and time, it reaches roughly 30-60 cm. Gardeners value it precisely for this blend of qualities.

Science & Biotechnology

Within the sedge family, Cyperus iria is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. Rice flatsedge has a real and distinguished place in the research. Continuing work by breeders and collectors keeps good seed of this species moving through the trade.

Uses & Benefits

Rice Flatsedge brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. Ecologically, rice flatsedge is a generous plant of the garden. Its open, radiating, pale-green clusters of small spikelets feed seed-eating birds, and its fine, tufted, leafy growth gives a fine, green cover to wet ground and edge of the pond. In later seasons it demands little more than an appreciative eye.

Nutgrass rhizome, Xiang Fu, is Chinese medicine’s foremost qi-regulating herb for women’s comfort and digestion, and its relative is the edible tigernut of horchata; cyperus essential oil is studied for calming and antimicrobial activity.

Growing from Seed

Sow fresh seed of Rice Flatsedge under ordinary good conditions. Level a tray of loose seed compost, sow evenly, cover to about the seed’s own depth, and keep it moist in full light. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.

Our Take

Reaching 30-60 cm, it needs room to show its full form. The medicinal tradition behind this species, outlined above, is a large part of its interest. Minor errors in timing or watering rarely cost the grower the crop.

Herb Seeds