Cyperus zumula Seeds | Cat Grass
LATIN NAME: Cyperus zumula
COMMON NAME: Cat Grass
Plant Profile
Cat grass is not a true grass at all but a slim, clump-forming sedge whose young leaves cats bite and swallow to move a hairball or simply to chew. The Zumula form is a dwarf, tidy edition of the umbrella sedge, arching into a soft fountain on a windowsill where a cat can reach it. That pet appeal is the whole reason the plant sits in millions of kitchens, and it grows back after a clipping better than any cereal grass offered beside it, which is why it out-sells wheat and oat grass for indoor pets.
Like every sedge it shows the three-ranked leaf arrangement and a stem that is triangular in section rather than round, a sure mark against the round-stemmed cereals sold as pet grass. The leaf blades are narrow, keeled and faintly arching, and they spring from a short crown that throws new shoots through the warm season. The fine umbels of brown spikelets appear on taller stems and give the plant its miniature umbrella look.
The giant papyrus carries its leaves in a single umbrella whorl at the tip, while Zumula keeps a lower, grassy mound with only a few short umbels. Yellow nutsedge, the garden weed, makes a similar triangular form but throws edible tubers and spreads by thread-like runners; Zumula stays in a clump and is grown for leaf, not tuber. The difference matters for the windowsill, where a running weed would be a nuisance and a tidy clump is the point.
Set Zumula beside Cyperus alternifolius for height, Cyperus articulatus for scent, and Cyperus involucratus for a finer fountain, so the sedge shelf reads as a family rather than a single novelty. The three share the same love of wet feet and bright light, so they make an easy themed collection.
Science & Biotechnology
Cyperus species are studied for cleaning water, and the same sedge metabolism that takes up nutrients makes a useful indoor filter plant. The pet benefit is simpler: the leaf is a source of roughage. Beyond the cat, the plant is a gentle classroom specimen for showing children how a sedge differs from a grass, and it tolerates the erratic care a busy home provides.
Uses & Benefits
In wetland trials related Cyperus species remove nitrogen and phosphorus from slow water, and the potted Zumula will clear a saucer of standing moisture through its roots. This is why the plant is happy sitting in a shallow tray that would rot most house plants, and why it is used in small indoor water gardens. Heavy-metal work on the genus also points to lead and cadmium uptake, so the sedge is a candidate bioindicator for polluted water.
The young leaf is mostly water and fibre, and cats that chew it regularly pass hair more easily; the mild grass taste seems to satisfy a craving that meat alone does not. Offer a fresh pot and rotate it with a rested one so the clump is never stripped bare, and keep a second pot growing so the first can recover between sessions.
Growing from Seed
Grown in a shallow pot it decorates a sill; grown in a trough it becomes a small pet garden that children can tend and learn from. The fountain shape also pairs well with broader foliage in a mixed indoor display, and the plant stands up to the occasional curious paw far better than a delicate seedling tray.
In a small water garden the clump sits in a net pot at the pond edge, where the roots comb the water and the leaves arch above the surface, and goldfish or shrimp browse the roots without harm. To make a new plant, pull a side crown free once it shows its own roots and pot it on, which is quicker than sowing and keeps the dwarf form true. The plant also suits a tabletop vase garden where the roots trail into a small jar of water, an old parlour trick that keeps the leaves lush through the dry months of indoor heating.
This sedge will not forgive a dry pot; sit the crown at the water line and keep the medium saturated. A bright spot with light shade at noon keeps the leaves from scorching while the roots stay cool and wet, and a weekly rinse of the tray prevents the stale smell that standing water can bring.
Scatter seed on the surface of wet soil and press lightly, then keep the tray flooded to a film of water until the seedlings stand. Lift and pot on when the young plants show four true leaves or reach about ten centimetres, and divide crowded clumps with your fingers rather than a knife. Once established the clump throws new crowns that can be pulled apart to start the next pot.
Our Take
I keep two pots of Zumula on the go so the cat always has a fresh one and the other can recover; it is the easiest green thing I grow. For a sedge shelf compare alternifolius, involucratus and articulatus in one window.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Cat Grass often pair it with these related subjects: