Cyperus haspanL.

haspan flatsedge

WFO wfo-0000374429 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Cyperus haspan, photographed by Greg Tasney
fig. a Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2022-04-12 / obs. 187845177
Cyperus haspan, photographed by John Kees
fig. b John Kees, CC0 1.0 / obs. 174065992
Cyperus haspan, photographed by Greg Tasney
fig. c Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 171695781
Cyperus haspan, photographed by Tom Field
fig. d Tom Field, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 169046011
Cyperus haspan, photographed by Greg Tasney
fig. e Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 158709768
Cyperus haspan, photographed by chiuluan
fig. f chiuluan, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 153248865
Cyperus haspan, photographed by chiuluan
fig. g chiuluan, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 127162110
Cyperus haspan, photographed by Dan Johnson
fig. h Dan Johnson, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 102656707

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 120 botanical countries

Regions where Cyperus haspan is native: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Iran, Japan, Korea, Nansei-shoto, Taiwan, Tibet, Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Cambodia, East Himalaya, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Pakistan, Philippines, Solomon Is., Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam, West Himalaya, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Caroline Is., Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Windward Is. AngolaBeninBotswanaBurkinaBurundiCameroonCentral African RepublicChadCongoDR CongoEquatorial GuineaEthiopiaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauGulf of Guinea Is.Ivory CoastKenyaLiberiaMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMozambiqueNigerNigeriaNorthern ProvincesSenegalSierra LeoneSomaliaSudan-South SudanTanzaniaTogoUgandaZambiaZimbabweChina South-CentralChina SoutheastHainanIranJapanTaiwanTibetAssamBangladeshBismarck ArchipelagoBorneoCambodiaEast HimalayaIndiaJawaLaosLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMyanmarNepalNew GuineaPakistanPhilippinesSolomon Is.Sri LankaSulawesiSumateraThailandVietnamWest HimalayaNew South WalesNorthern TerritoryQueenslandWestern AustraliaAlabamaFloridaGeorgiaLouisianaMarylandMexico GulfMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestMississippiNorth CarolinaSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasVirginiaBelizeBoliviaBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralColombiaCosta RicaCubaDominican RepublicEcuadorFrench GuianaGuatemalaGuyanaHondurasJamaicaNicaraguaPanamáParaguayPeruPuerto RicoSurinameTrinidad-TobagoVenezuela ComorosSeychellesKoreaNansei-shotoAndaman Is.Nicobar Is.Caroline Is.Windward Is.
Native distribution of Cyperus haspan, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Angola ANG AFRICA
Benin BEN
Botswana BOT
Burkina BKN
Burundi BUR
Cameroon CMN
Central African Republic CAF
Chad CHA
Comoros COM
Congo CON
DR Congo ZAI
Equatorial Guinea EQG
Ethiopia ETH
Gabon GAB
Gambia GAM
Ghana GHA
Guinea GUI
Guinea-Bissau GNB
Gulf of Guinea Is. GGI
Ivory Coast IVO
Kenya KEN
Liberia LBR
Madagascar MDG
Malawi MLW
Mali MLI
Mauritania MTN
Mozambique MOZ
Niger NGR
Nigeria NGA
Northern Provinces TVL
Senegal SEN
Seychelles SEY
Sierra Leone SIE
Somalia SOM
Sudan-South Sudan SUD
Tanzania TAN
Togo TOG
Uganda UGA
Zambia ZAM
Zimbabwe ZIM
Andaman Is. AND ASIA-TROPICAL
Assam ASS
Bangladesh BAN
Bismarck Archipelago BIS
Borneo BOR
Cambodia CBD
East Himalaya EHM
India IND
Jawa JAW
Laos LAO
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Malaya MLY
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
Nepal NEP
New Guinea NWG
Nicobar Is. NCB
Pakistan PAK
Philippines PHI
Solomon Is. SOL
Sri Lanka SRL
Sulawesi SUL
Sumatera SUM
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
West Himalaya WHM
Belize BLZ SOUTHERN AMERICA
Bolivia BOL
Brazil North BZN
Brazil Northeast BZE
Brazil South BZS
Brazil Southeast BZL
Brazil West-Central BZC
Colombia CLM
Costa Rica COS
Cuba CUB
Dominican Republic DOM
Ecuador ECU
French Guiana FRG
Guatemala GUA
Guyana GUY
Honduras HON
Jamaica JAM
Nicaragua NIC
Panamá PAN
Paraguay PAR
Peru PER
Puerto Rico PUE
Suriname SUR
Trinidad-Tobago TRT
Venezuela VEN
Windward Is. WIN
Alabama ALA NORTHERN AMERICA
Florida FLA
Georgia GEO
Louisiana LOU
Maryland MRY
Mexico Gulf MXG
Mexico Southeast MXT
Mexico Southwest MXS
Mississippi MSI
North Carolina NCA
South Carolina SCA
Tennessee TEN
Texas TEX
Virginia VRG
China South-Central CHC ASIA-TEMPERATE
China Southeast CHS
Hainan CHH
Iran IRN
Japan JAP
Korea KOR
Nansei-shoto NNS
Taiwan TAI
Tibet CHT
New South Wales NSW AUSTRALASIA
Northern Territory NTA
Queensland QLD
Western Australia WAU
Caroline Is. CRL PACIFIC

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Flowering 39 in flower of 56 examined

Peak flowering in Mar. Each bar is the share of Cyperus haspan observations in which someone actually recorded the reproductive state and found the plant in flower, not the raw number of flowering records. That distinction matters: people observe plants far more in spring than in winter, so a bare count of flowering records partly measures when people go outside. Dividing by the number examined removes that. 39 of 56 examined observations were in flower, every one of them research grade. The whisker on each bar is a 95% Wilson interval. 7 months have fewer than 5 examined observations, so no proportion is drawn for them. This is still a global aggregate and not a forecast for your garden: the same species flowers on different dates in different hemispheres. Where a species has fewer than 30 flowering records we do not draw this chart at all. Computed from 10.15468/dl.cgje2x.

Also published as 53 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Cyperus adenophorus Schrad.
  • Cyperus adenophorus Schrad. ex Nees
  • Cyperus adenophorus var. aphyllus Boeckeler
  • Cyperus americanus (Boeckeler) Palla
  • Cyperus aphyllus Vahl
  • Cyperus autumnalis Vahl
  • Cyperus caespitosus Llanos
  • Cyperus cayennensis Link
  • Cyperus efoliatus Boeckeler
  • Cyperus gracilis Muhl.
  • Cyperus gramineus Roem. & Schult.
  • Cyperus graminifolius Poir.
  • Cyperus haspan f. coarctata Osten
  • Cyperus haspan f. major C.B.Clarke
  • Cyperus haspan subsp. haspan
  • Cyperus haspan subsp. junciformis Kük.
  • Cyperus haspan subsp. juncoides (Lam.) Kük.
  • Cyperus haspan var. adenophorus (Schrad. ex Nees) Kük.
  • Cyperus haspan var. americanus Boeckeler
  • Cyperus haspan var. amplissimus Kük.
  • Cyperus haspan var. bulboides Kük.
  • Cyperus haspan var. coarctatus (Nees) Osten
  • Cyperus haspan var. coarctatus Nees
  • Cyperus haspan var. dietrichiae Domin

and 29 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.