Edge/ Pine Barrens Cyperus

COMMON NAME: Pine Barrens Cyperus

OTHER COMMON NAME(S): Pine Barrens Umbrella Sedge

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cyperus retrorsus

FAMILY: Cyperaceae

COMMUNITY: Edge

STATUS: Native

LIFESPAN: Perennial

HEIGHT: 12 to 40 inches

FLOWERING TIME: Late July to Mid-September

FRUITING TIME: Late July to Mid-September

DISTRIBUTION: New York to Florida & west to Texas ~ Coastal Plain in New Jersey

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS: Stems very slender, smooth ~ Leaves shorter than the stems, pale green, firm ~ Spikelets very numerous, crowded, radiating horizontally ~ Spikes long, dense, cylindrical ~ 1 to 3 flowered

GENERAL INFORMATION: The Cyperaceae family commonly called the Rush or Sedge family includes eight genera and approximately three hundred species of grass-like plants.  In ancient times rushes were used to make roofs, writing instruments, bedding, caulking for ships and some were used to make arrows.  A more poetic use was for musical pipes.  In the Middle Ages rushes were used to cover cold stone floors and were swept away when dirty. The genus Cyperus is from the Greek Cyperos and the species retrorsus means “turned backward”. The presence of members of this family of plants indicates damp soil or low meadows. The following rhythm may help distinguish rushes from the similar appearing sedges, grasses, and rushes: Sedges have edges, Rushes are round, Grasses have joints from the tips to the ground. Other plants in this genus are also found at Island Beach State Park for example, False Nut-Sedge (Cyprus strigosus), Yellow Nutgrass (Cyperus esculentus),and Nutall’s Cyperus (Cyperus filicinus).  Yellow Nutgrass is edible raw or as a cooked vegetable.  The tubers can be used to prepare a coffee substitute or a cold drink.

Please note: While harvesting wild berries/fruit is permitted at Island Beach State Park, visitors must adhere to park regulations at all times and must not damage vegetation or go off designated trails.  This information is presented for educational purposes.