Cyperus esculentus

Chufa flatsedge

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Chufa flatsedge is a California native perennial herb found in various habitats across the state. Flowering throughout the summer, this plant produces yellow to dark brown flowers in inflorescences with 4 to 10 rays extending 20 to 110 millimeters long. Growing 20 to 80 centimeters tall with distinctive underground stolons that develop small tubers less than 11 millimeters wide, it spreads easily through these underground runners. Its flower bracts are small, measuring 1.8 to 2.7 millimeters long, with subtle color variations ranging from yellow to dark brown with medial green or reddish tones. The tiny fruits are elliptic and rarely mature to full development.

California counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Butte, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Mariposa, Merced, Riverside, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Ventura, Stanislaus, Inyo, El Dorado, Santa Clara, Monterey, Alameda, Amador, Yolo, Sonoma, Solano, Marin, Santa Cruz, Siskiyou, Placer, Kings, Yuba, Tehama, Shasta, Contra Costa

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.