Cyperus pilosus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Cyperus pilosus Vahl

Family: Cyperaceae

Synonyms

• Cyperus obliquus Nees,
• C. pauciflorus Steud.,
• C. piptolepis Steud.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: hilut (Sundanese), lambungan sapi (Javanese), rumput jeking (Indonesian)
• Malaysia: madarong darat (Peninsular)
• Philippines: paragi (Subanun)
• Vietnam: cói lông

Distribution

From western tropical Africa, north-eastern Africa, central Asia and Japan through tropical Asia towards tropical Australia.

Uses

Ploughed in and used as a green manure in rice fields. It is eaten by cattle.

Observations

• Perennial, rhizomatous herb with slender stolons, up to 50(-110) cm tall.
• Inflorescence with rayed spikes and hispidulous rachises 2-3 cm long.
• Spikelets 6-25 per spike, 2-2.5(-3) mm wide; glumes muticous; style with 3 stigmas.

C. pilosus occurs in open wet sites, swamps, grasslands, on river banks, up to 1500 m altitude. Sometimes a troublesome weed and removed manually. It is closely related to Cyperus procerus Rottb., which it resembles.

Selected sources

• Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. 2nd Edition. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2444 pp.
• Flora Malesiana (various editors), 1950-. Series 1. Volume 1, 4-. Kluwer, Dordrecht & Flora Malesiana Foundation, Leiden, the Netherlands.
• Hooper, S.S. & Napper, D.M., 1972. Cyperaceae. In: Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M. & Hepper, F.N. (Editors): Flora of West tropical Africa, volume 3, part 2. Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, London, United Kingdom. pp. 278-349.
• Merrill, E.D., 1923-1925. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants. 3 volumes. Bureau of Printing, Manila, the Philippines. 2136 pp.
• Soerjani, M., Kostermans, A.J.G.H. & Tjitrosoepomo, G., 1987. Weeds of rice in Indonesia. Balai Pustaka, Jakarta, Indonesia. 716 pp.

Authors

• M.S.M. Sosef & L.J.G. van der Maesen