Cyperus odoratusL.

fragrant flatsedge

WFO wfo-0000378607 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC BY / CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Cyperus odoratus, photographed by chiuluan
fig. a chiuluan, CC BY 4.0 / 2022-05-23 / obs. 200281181
Cyperus odoratus, photographed by chiuluan
fig. b chiuluan, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 198410763
Cyperus odoratus, photographed by Josiah Londerée
fig. c Josiah Londerée, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 193388839
Cyperus odoratus, photographed by Claire Herzog
fig. d Claire Herzog, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 193056328
Cyperus odoratus, photographed by 望之
fig. e 望之, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 193748884
Cyperus odoratus, photographed by chiuluan
fig. f chiuluan, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 189791708
Cyperus odoratus, photographed by chiuluan
fig. g chiuluan, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 188785227
Cyperus odoratus, photographed by chiuluan
fig. h chiuluan, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 187734915

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 147 botanical countries

Regions where Cyperus odoratus is native: Angola, Benin, Congo, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, China Southeast, Japan, Kazan-retto, Korea, Nansei-shoto, Ogasawara-shoto, Taiwan, Andaman Is., Bangladesh, Borneo, Christmas I., Cocos (Keeling) Is., India, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam, New South Wales, Queensland, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Québec, Rhode I., South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Caroline Is., Cook Is., Fiji, Gilbert Is., Hawaii, Marianas, Marquesas, Marshall Is., Samoa, Tokelau-Manihiki, Tuamotu, Tubuai Is., Vanuatu, Wallis-Futuna Is., Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Aruba, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Central American Pacific Is., Chile Central, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Galápagos, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is. AngolaBeninCongoDR CongoEquatorial GuineaGabonGhanaGuineaGulf of Guinea Is.Ivory CoastMadagascarMauritaniaNigeriaSenegalChina SoutheastJapanTaiwanBangladeshBorneoIndiaJawaLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMyanmarNew GuineaPhilippinesSulawesiSumateraThailandVietnamNew South WalesQueenslandAlabamaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaConnecticutFloridaGeorgiaIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMexico CentralMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico NorthwestMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriNebraskaNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOntarioOregonPennsylvaniaQuébecSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingFijiHawaiiArgentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestBelizeBoliviaBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralCentral American Pacific Is.Chile CentralColombiaCosta RicaCubaDominican RepublicEcuadorEl SalvadorFrench GuianaGuatemalaGuyanaHaitiHondurasJamaicaNicaraguaPanamáParaguayPeruPuerto RicoSurinameTrinidad-TobagoUruguayVenezuela KoreaNansei-shotoAndaman Is.Christmas I.Nicobar Is.DelawareDistrict of ColumbiaRhode I.Caroline Is.Cook Is.MarianasMarquesasMarshall Is.SamoaTokelau-ManihikiTuamotuTubuai Is.VanuatuWallis-Futuna Is.ArubaBahamasBermudaCayman Is.GalápagosLeeward Is.Netherlands AntillesVenezuelan AntillesWindward Is.
Native distribution of Cyperus odoratus, 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
Alabama ALA NORTHERN AMERICA
Arizona ARI
Arkansas ARK
California CAL
Connecticut CNT
Delaware DEL
District of Columbia WDC
Florida FLA
Georgia GEO
Illinois ILL
Indiana INI
Iowa IOW
Kansas KAN
Kentucky KTY
Louisiana LOU
Maine MAI
Maryland MRY
Massachusetts MAS
Mexico Central MXC
Mexico Gulf MXG
Mexico Northeast MXE
Mexico Northwest MXN
Mexico Southeast MXT
Mexico Southwest MXS
Michigan MIC
Minnesota MIN
Mississippi MSI
Missouri MSO
Nebraska NEB
New Jersey NWJ
New Mexico NWM
New York NWY
North Carolina NCA
North Dakota NDA
Ohio OHI
Oklahoma OKL
Ontario ONT
Oregon ORE
Pennsylvania PEN
Québec QUE
Rhode I. RHO
South Carolina SCA
South Dakota SDA
Tennessee TEN
Texas TEX
Vermont VER
Virginia VRG
Washington WAS
West Virginia WVA
Wisconsin WIS
Wyoming WYO
Argentina Northeast AGE SOUTHERN AMERICA
Argentina Northwest AGW
Aruba ARU
Bahamas BAH
Belize BLZ
Bermuda BER
Bolivia BOL
Brazil North BZN
Brazil Northeast BZE
Brazil South BZS
Brazil Southeast BZL
Brazil West-Central BZC
Cayman Is. CAY
Central American Pacific Is. CPI
Chile Central CLC
Colombia CLM
Costa Rica COS
Cuba CUB
Dominican Republic DOM
Ecuador ECU
El Salvador ELS
French Guiana FRG
Galápagos GAL
Guatemala GUA
Guyana GUY
Haiti HAI
Honduras HON
Jamaica JAM
Leeward Is. LEE
Netherlands Antilles NLA
Nicaragua NIC
Panamá PAN
Paraguay PAR
Peru PER
Puerto Rico PUE
Suriname SUR
Trinidad-Tobago TRT
Uruguay URU
Venezuela VEN
Venezuelan Antilles VNA
Windward Is. WIN
Andaman Is. AND ASIA-TROPICAL
Bangladesh BAN
Borneo BOR
Christmas I. XMS
Cocos (Keeling) Is. CKI
India IND
Jawa JAW
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Malaya MLY
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
New Guinea NWG
Nicobar Is. NCB
Philippines PHI
Sulawesi SUL
Sumatera SUM
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
Angola ANG AFRICA
Benin BEN
Congo CON
DR Congo ZAI
Equatorial Guinea EQG
Gabon GAB
Ghana GHA
Guinea GUI
Gulf of Guinea Is. GGI
Ivory Coast IVO
Madagascar MDG
Mauritania MTN
Nigeria NGA
Senegal SEN
Caroline Is. CRL PACIFIC
Cook Is. COO
Fiji FIJ
Gilbert Is. GIL
Hawaii HAW
Marianas MRN
Marquesas MRQ
Marshall Is. MRS
Samoa SAM
Tokelau-Manihiki TOK
Tuamotu TUA
Tubuai Is. TUB
Vanuatu VAN
Wallis-Futuna Is. WAL
China Southeast CHS ASIA-TEMPERATE
Japan JAP
Kazan-retto KZN
Korea KOR
Nansei-shoto NNS
Ogasawara-shoto OGA
Taiwan TAI
New South Wales NSW AUSTRALASIA
Queensland QLD

Not drawn on the map: Kazan-retto, Ogasawara-shoto, Cocos (Keeling) Is., 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.

Flowering 101 in flower of 169 examined

Peak flowering in Apr. Each bar is the share of Cyperus odoratus 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. 101 of 169 examined observations were in flower, every one of them research grade. The whisker on each bar is a 95% Wilson interval. One month has fewer than 5 examined observations, so no proportion is drawn for it. 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 103 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 auriculatus Nees & Meyen ex Kunth
  • Cyperus bracteolatus Steud.
  • Cyperus californicus S.Watson
  • Cyperus carruthii Alph.Wood
  • Cyperus consocius Steud. ex Jard.
  • Cyperus cubanus Liebm.
  • Cyperus densiflorus G.Mey.
  • Cyperus distans G.Mey.
  • Cyperus eggersii Boeckeler
  • Cyperus eggersii var. laticeps Kük.
  • Cyperus engelmannii Steud.
  • Cyperus erythrorhizus Torr.
  • Cyperus familiaris Steud.
  • Cyperus ferax f. parvus (Boeckeler) Kük.
  • Cyperus ferax subsp. engelmannii (Steud.) Kük.
  • Cyperus ferax subsp. speciosus (Vahl) Kük.
  • Cyperus ferax subsp. transcaucasicus Kük.
  • Cyperus ferax var. auriculatus (Nees & Meyen ex Kunth) Kük.
  • Cyperus ferax var. bulbiferus Barros
  • Cyperus ferax var. densiflorus (G.Mey.) Kük.
  • Cyperus ferax var. engelmannii (Steud.) Kük. ex Osten
  • Cyperus ferax var. maximiliani (Schrad. ex Nees) Boeckeler
  • Cyperus ferax var. novae-hannoverae (Boeckeler) Kük.
  • Cyperus ferax var. squarrosus (Britton) Kük.

and 79 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.