Cyperus laevigatusL.

Smooth Flatsedgesmooth flatsedge

WFO wfo-0000376262 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Cyperus laevigatus, photographed by Tony Rebelo
fig. a Tony Rebelo, CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2021-07-18 / obs. 145230412
Cyperus laevigatus, photographed by douglaseustonbrown
fig. b douglaseustonbrown, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 62008531
Cyperus laevigatus, photographed by Sonny Gamponia
fig. c Sonny Gamponia, CC0 1.0 / obs. 37298855
Cyperus laevigatus, photographed by Tony Rebelo
fig. d Tony Rebelo, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 34437795
Cyperus laevigatus, photographed by Duarte Frade
fig. e Duarte Frade, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 59865390
Cyperus laevigatus, photographed by Tony Rebelo
fig. f Tony Rebelo, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 19265026
Cyperus laevigatus, photographed by Nicola van Berkel
fig. g Nicola van Berkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 98418301
Cyperus laevigatus, photographed by Karim Haddad
fig. h Karim Haddad, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 178825263

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 109 botanical countries

Regions where Cyperus laevigatus is native: Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Caprivi Strip, Chad, Djibouti, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Free State, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Madeira, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Réunion, Rodrigues, Rwanda, Senegal, Socotra, Somalia, St.Helena, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Gulf States, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sinai, Tadzhikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Vietnam, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Baleares, France, Greece, Italy, Kriti, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Arizona, California, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, North Carolina, Texas, Gilbert Is., Hawaii, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Bolivia, Chile Central, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Galápagos, Guatemala, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Nicaragua, Peru, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is. AlgeriaAngolaBotswanaBurundiCape ProvincesCaprivi StripChadDjiboutiDR CongoEgyptEritreaEswatiniEthiopiaFree StateKenyaKwaZulu-NatalLesothoLibyaMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaNorthern ProvincesRwandaSenegalSomaliaSudan-South SudanTanzaniaTunisiaUgandaWestern SaharaZambiaZimbabweAfghanistanCyprusEast Aegean Is.Gulf StatesIranIraqLebanon-SyriaOmanPalestineSaudi ArabiaSinaiTadzhikistanTürkiyeTurkmenistanUzbekistanYemenIndiaMyanmarPakistanVietnamNew South WalesQueenslandSouth AustraliaWestern AustraliaFranceGreeceItalyKritiSiciliaSpainArizonaCaliforniaMexico CentralMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico NorthwestMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestNorth CarolinaTexasHawaiiArgentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestBoliviaChile CentralColombiaCosta RicaCubaDominican RepublicEcuadorGuatemalaJamaicaNicaraguaPeruPuerto RicoVenezuela Canary Is.Cape VerdeMadeiraMauritiusRéunionRodriguesSt.HelenaBalearesSardegnaGalápagosLeeward Is.Venezuelan AntillesWindward Is.
Native distribution of Cyperus laevigatus, 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
Algeria ALG AFRICA
Angola ANG
Botswana BOT
Burundi BUR
Canary Is. CNY
Cape Provinces CPP
Cape Verde CVI
Caprivi Strip CPV
Chad CHA
Djibouti DJI
DR Congo ZAI
Egypt EGY
Eritrea ERI
Eswatini SWZ
Ethiopia ETH
Free State OFS
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Lesotho LES
Libya LBY
Madagascar MDG
Madeira MDR
Malawi MLW
Mali MLI
Mauritania MTN
Mauritius MAU
Morocco MOR
Mozambique MOZ
Namibia NAM
Niger NGR
Nigeria NGA
Northern Provinces TVL
Réunion REU
Rodrigues ROD
Rwanda RWA
Senegal SEN
Socotra SOC
Somalia SOM
St.Helena STH
Sudan-South Sudan SUD
Tanzania TAN
Tunisia TUN
Uganda UGA
Western Sahara WSA
Zambia ZAM
Zimbabwe ZIM
Argentina Northeast AGE SOUTHERN AMERICA
Argentina Northwest AGW
Bolivia BOL
Chile Central CLC
Colombia CLM
Costa Rica COS
Cuba CUB
Dominican Republic DOM
Ecuador ECU
Galápagos GAL
Guatemala GUA
Jamaica JAM
Leeward Is. LEE
Nicaragua NIC
Peru PER
Puerto Rico PUE
Venezuela VEN
Venezuelan Antilles VNA
Windward Is. WIN
Afghanistan AFG ASIA-TEMPERATE
Cyprus CYP
East Aegean Is. EAI
Gulf States GST
Iran IRN
Iraq IRQ
Lebanon-Syria LBS
Oman OMA
Palestine PAL
Saudi Arabia SAU
Sinai SIN
Tadzhikistan TZK
Türkiye TUR
Turkmenistan TKM
Uzbekistan UZB
Yemen YEM
Arizona ARI NORTHERN AMERICA
California CAL
Mexico Central MXC
Mexico Gulf MXG
Mexico Northeast MXE
Mexico Northwest MXN
Mexico Southeast MXT
Mexico Southwest MXS
North Carolina NCA
Texas TEX
Baleares BAL EUROPE
France FRA
Greece GRC
Italy ITA
Kriti KRI
Sardegna SAR
Sicilia SIC
Spain SPA
India IND ASIA-TROPICAL
Myanmar MYA
Pakistan PAK
Vietnam VIE
New South Wales NSW AUSTRALASIA
Queensland QLD
South Australia SOA
Western Australia WAU
Gilbert Is. GIL PACIFIC
Hawaii HAW

Not drawn on the map: Socotra, Gilbert 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 55 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.

  • Acorellus distachyus (All.) Palla
  • Acorellus laevigatus (L.) Palla
  • Acorellus laevigatus subsp. distachyos (All.) Holub
  • Acorellus pallae Kneuck.
  • Chlorocyperus junciformis (Desf.) Rikli
  • Chlorocyperus laevigatus (L.) Palla
  • Cyperus careyi Britton
  • Cyperus cossyrensis Tineo ex Guss.
  • Cyperus distachyos All.
  • Cyperus incurvus Spreng. ex Kunth
  • Cyperus juncellus Dinter
  • Cyperus junciformis Desf.
  • Cyperus laevigatus f. atratus Peter ex Kük.
  • Cyperus laevigatus f. depauperata Baker
  • Cyperus laevigatus f. macra C.B.Clarke
  • Cyperus laevigatus f. reptans (Boeckeler) C.B.Clarke
  • Cyperus laevigatus f. viridulus (Boeck.) C.B.Clarke
  • Cyperus laevigatus subsp. albidus (Vahl) Maire & Weiller
  • Cyperus laevigatus var. albidus Vahl
  • Cyperus laevigatus var. caespitosus C.B.Clarke
  • Cyperus laevigatus var. distachyos (All.) Coss. & Durieu
  • Cyperus laevigatus var. laevigatus
  • Cyperus laevigatus var. pallae (Kneuck.) Kük.
  • Cyperus laevigatus var. pictus Boeckeler

and 31 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.