Cyperus javanicusHoutt.

Javanese flatsedge

WFO wfo-0000375604 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Cyperus javanicus, photographed by Kevin Faccenda
fig. a Kevin Faccenda, CC BY 4.0 / 2021-12-13 / obs. 172643582
Cyperus javanicus, photographed by Ong Jyh Seng
fig. b Ong Jyh Seng, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 159340852
Cyperus javanicus, photographed by 國立臺灣博物館
fig. c 國立臺灣博物館, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 82975156
Cyperus javanicus, photographed by Cheng-Tao Lin
fig. d Cheng-Tao Lin, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 40717267
Cyperus javanicus, photographed by Cheng-Tao Lin
fig. e Cheng-Tao Lin, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 39413257
Cyperus javanicus, photographed by Emily Chebul
fig. f Emily Chebul, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 13019540
Cyperus javanicus, photographed by 葉子
fig. g 葉子, CC0 1.0 / obs. 29151795
Cyperus javanicus, photographed by Cheng-Tao Lin
fig. h Cheng-Tao Lin, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 20934249

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 55 botanical countries

Regions where Cyperus javanicus is native: Madagascar, Seychelles, China Southeast, Hainan, Kazan-retto, Nansei-shoto, Ogasawara-shoto, Taiwan, Andaman Is., Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Cambodia, Christmas I., Cocos (Keeling) Is., India, Jawa, Laccadive Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maldives, Maluku, Myanmar, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Philippines, South China Sea, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia, Caroline Is., Cook Is., Fiji, Gilbert Is., Hawaii, Line Is., Marianas, Marquesas, Marshall Is., Nauru, Phoenix Is., Pitcairn Is., Samoa, Society Is., Tokelau-Manihiki, Tonga, Tuamotu, Tubuai Is., Vanuatu, Wallis-Futuna Is. MadagascarChina SoutheastHainanTaiwanBangladeshBismarck ArchipelagoBorneoCambodiaIndiaJawaLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMyanmarNew GuineaPhilippinesSri LankaSulawesiSumateraThailandVietnamNorthern TerritoryQueenslandWestern AustraliaFijiHawaii SeychellesNansei-shotoAndaman Is.Christmas I.Laccadive Is.MaldivesNicobar Is.South China SeaCaroline Is.Cook Is.Line Is.MarianasMarquesasMarshall Is.NauruPitcairn Is.SamoaSociety Is.Tokelau-ManihikiTongaTuamotuTubuai Is.VanuatuWallis-Futuna Is.
Native distribution of Cyperus javanicus, 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
Andaman Is. AND ASIA-TROPICAL
Bangladesh BAN
Bismarck Archipelago BIS
Borneo BOR
Cambodia CBD
Christmas I. XMS
Cocos (Keeling) Is. CKI
India IND
Jawa JAW
Laccadive Is. LDV
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Malaya MLY
Maldives MDV
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
New Guinea NWG
Nicobar Is. NCB
Philippines PHI
South China Sea SCS
Sri Lanka SRL
Sulawesi SUL
Sumatera SUM
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
Caroline Is. CRL PACIFIC
Cook Is. COO
Fiji FIJ
Gilbert Is. GIL
Hawaii HAW
Line Is. LIN
Marianas MRN
Marquesas MRQ
Marshall Is. MRS
Nauru NRU
Phoenix Is. PHX
Pitcairn Is. PIT
Samoa SAM
Society Is. SCI
Tokelau-Manihiki TOK
Tonga TON
Tuamotu TUA
Tubuai Is. TUB
Vanuatu VAN
Wallis-Futuna Is. WAL
China Southeast CHS ASIA-TEMPERATE
Hainan CHH
Kazan-retto KZN
Nansei-shoto NNS
Ogasawara-shoto OGA
Taiwan TAI
Northern Territory NTA AUSTRALASIA
Queensland QLD
Western Australia WAU
Madagascar MDG AFRICA
Seychelles SEY

Not drawn on the map: Kazan-retto, Ogasawara-shoto, Cocos (Keeling) Is., Gilbert Is., Phoenix Is.. We hold no public-domain boundary for these regions, so they are listed rather than guessed at.

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.

Also published as 25 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 anomalus Steud.
  • Cyperus canescens Vahl
  • Cyperus caricifolius Hook. & Arn.
  • Cyperus firmus J.Presl & C.Presl
  • Cyperus fucatus Boeckeler
  • Cyperus holciflorus J.Presl & C.Presl
  • Cyperus macreilema Steud. ex Jard.
  • Cyperus ovatus Llanos
  • Cyperus owahuensis Nees
  • Cyperus parviflorus Vahl
  • Cyperus pennatus Lam.
  • Cyperus pinnatus A.Rich.
  • Cyperus spongiosocoriaceus Boeckeler
  • Cyperus stigmatosus Steud.
  • Cyperus stuppeus G.Forst.
  • Cyperus taitensis Steud.
  • Cyperus tongatabuensis Boeckeler
  • Cyperus valdiviae Steud.
  • Cyperus ventricosus R.Br.
  • Duval-jouvea pennata (Lam.) Palla
  • Mariscus albescens Gaudich.
  • Mariscus javanicus (Houtt.) Merr. & F.P.Metcalf
  • Mariscus pennatus (Lam.) Domin
  • Mariscus pennatus var. ventricosus (R.Br.) Domin

and 1 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.