Cyperus stoloniferus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Cyperus stoloniferus Retz.

Protologue: Observ. bot. 4: 10 (1786).

Vernacular names

• Philippines: apulid-gapang (Tagalog)
• Vietnam: củ gấu biển, hương phụ biển.

Distribution

Madagascar, Mauritius, whole South-East Asia, but only locally in the Philippines, to Melanesia and northern Australia.

Uses

The tuber is used in India as a stomachic and heart stimulant. In Vietnam, C. stoloniferus is used as a substitute for C. rotundus, but has in general a stronger effect. It is considered useful as a sand binder.

Observations

• A perennial herb with long, creeping stolons hardening into a woody rhizome, forming stout tubers, stem 15-50 cm long.
• Leaves 1.5-4 mm wide, scabrid in the upper part, glaucous.
• Inflorescence simple or subcompound, involucral bracts 2-3, up to 30 cm long, primary rays 2-5, very unequal, 1-6 cm long.
• Spikelets spicately arranged, 8-20-flowered; stamens 3, stigmas 3.
• Fruit dorsoventrally compressed, broadly ovoid to ovoid, shining dark brown to blackish.

C. stoloniferus is fairly common on coastal sands of dunes and beaches and occasionally occurs in saline, muddy locations.

Selected sources

• Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A-H) pp. 1-1240. Vol. 2 (I- Z) pp. 1241-2444.
• Kern, J.H., 1974. Cyperaceae. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (General editor): Flora Malesiana. Series 1, Vol. 7. Noordhoff, Leyden, the Netherlands. pp. 435-753.
• Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 pp.
• Vu Van Dien & Pham Xuan Sinh, 1993. On the difference between C. rotundus L. and C. stoloniferus Retz. Pharmaceutical Journal (Hanoi) 4: 20-21. (in Vietnamese)

Main genus page

• Cyperus (Medicinal plants)

Authors

• Nguyen Khac Khoi