Cyperus esculentus

Encyclopedia : C : CY : CYP : Cyperus esculentus

Cyperus esculentus (Chufa Sedge, Yellow Nutsedge, Tigernut Sedge, Earthalmond) is a species of sedge native to warm temperate to subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is an annual or perennial plant, growing to 90 cm tall, with solitary stems growing from a tuber. The stems are triangular in section, and bear slender leaves 3-10 mm wide. The flowers of the plant are distinctive, with a cluster of flat oval seeds surrounded by four hanging leaves positioned 90 degrees from each other. The plant foliage is very tough and fibrous, and is often mistaken for a grass.

There are several varieties:

Cyperus esculentus var. esculentus. Mediterranean region east to India.
Cyperus esculentus var. hermannii. Florida.
Cyperus esculentus var. leptostachyus. United States.
Cyperus esculentus var. macrostachyus. United States.
Cyperus esculentus var. sativa. Asia, cultivated origin.

Cultivation and uses

The tubers are edible, with a slightly sweet, nutty flavour, compared to the more bitter tasting tuber of the related Cyperus rotundus (Purple Nutsedge). They are quite hard and are generally soaked in water before they can be eaten. They have various uses, in particular they are used in Spain to make Horchata. They are sometimes known by their Spanish name, "chufa".

The tubers were originally cultivated by Ancient Egypt's populations at the Nile Valley; their cultivation was subsequently extended throughout other areas with temperate climate and fertile soil. Presently, they are mainly cultivated - at least for extended and common commercial purposes - in Spain, where they were introduced by Arabs, almost exclusively in the Valencia region.

Tigernuts have excellent nutritional qualities with a fat composition similar to olives and a rich mineral content, especially phosphorus and potassium. Tiger nuts are also gluten and cholesterol free, and have a very low sodium content.

According to the Consejo Regulador de Chufa de Valencia (Regulating Council for Valencia's Tigernuts) [link], the nutritional composition/100 ml of a classical Horchata de Chufas, or Orxata de Xufes in Valencian language, is as follows: energy content around 66 kcal, proteins around 0.5 g, carbohydrates over 10 g with starch at least 1.9 g, fats at least 2 g.

It is extremely difficult to remove permanently when it is considered to be an intrusive weed in lawns and gardens. This is due to the plant having a stratified and layered root system, with tubers and roots being interconnected to each other to a depth of 50 cm or more. The tubers are connected by fragile roots that are extremely prone to snapping when pulled on, making the plant extremely difficult to remove with its entire root system intact. The plant will regenerate completely if even a single tuber is left in place, so the only way to remove a severe nutsedge infestation completely is to sift through the soil by hand to probe for tubers. Often, to remove a nutdedge infestation completely, soil must be excavated to a depth of at least 50 cm, discarded or sterilized, and replaced with new soil. Even in this extreme instance, complete extermination is not guaranteed, since even the presence of one tuber is sufficient to restore the infestation over time. Pulling the top growth while accidentally breaking off the tubers will stimulate the root system to produce new growth and more tubers, therefore making the infestation worse. Nutsedge can only be removed correctly by hand weeding. Using any sort of cultivation machine or shovel will break off portions of the root system, worsening the infestation.

Nutsedge is very resistant to many common herbicides, often these have a very minimal effect or no effect at all. Even with repeated applications, the top growth may die back, but herbicide such as roundup is highly unlikely to kill the root system. Nutsedge may be controlled by applying herbicide to new shoots as they appear. New shoots are needle-like and may be successfully treated in this way until they are 7 cm in height. By treating new growth as it appears, the tubers can be killed by exhausting its resources, forcing it to regenerate new growth constantly. Persistence is necessary, because the plant will easily recover from this method of attack if treatment ceases.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.