Yellow nutsedge
Cyperus esculentus · Aquatic plants
Whole plant · Photo: Michael J. Papay / CC BY
Also called Chufa, Yellow nutgrass, Nutgrass
State noxious weed listing
- Oregon: B list
How to identify Yellow nutsedge
- Triangular stems, solid and three sided in cross section
- Glossy yellow green, grasslike leaves in sets of three from the base
- Golden brown, feathery seed heads above leafy bracts
- Small round tubers on the roots
Similar plants
Grasses have round, hollow stems; purple nutsedge has purple brown heads and chains of tubers.
Growth profile
| Growing season | Sprouts from tubers in late spring once soils warm, heads out July to September and dies back at frost. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | Warm soils in late spring |
| Light | Full sun |
| Depth | Moist to wet soil and the shallow edge |
| How it spreads | Tubers, rhizomes and seeds |
| Habitat | Wet, sandy or silty pond margins, ditch banks, irrigated fields and lawns near water. |
Why it matters in a lake
Hard to control because each plant makes many tubers that survive in the soil for years. Common in irrigated areas and on wet, disturbed pond edges.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Common
- Oregon: Common
- Wyoming: Occasional
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Poales |
| Family | Cyperaceae |
| Scientific name | Cyperus esculentus |
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