Genus · Cyperaceae
Cyperus
2 species tracked in Horta’s catalog, and the named cultivars growers keep. Walk down to a species for its full care record, or into a cultivar for its traits and provenance.
Species in this genus
The ones growers meet most — each links to its own page.
Cyperus alternifolius
Umbrella Sedge
Cyperus alternifolius is a rhizomatous sedge from Australian wetlands and marshy margins, so unlike most houseplants it genuinely wants its roots kept consistently wet and never allowed to dry out fully. Keep the mix saturated and water when the surface begins to feel less than soaked; it tolerates standing in a saucer of water. Give it bright indirect light and humid air to match its boggy native habit.
Cyperus prolifer
Miniature Flatsedge
A dwarf papyrus from African and Madagascan wetlands, this rhizomatous sedge is a true marginal aquatic that wants its roots constantly wet. Unlike most houseplants, do not let it dry out: keep the pot standing in a saucer of water or in continually saturated mix, topping up when the water level drops below the soil surface. Give it bright indirect light and high humidity, conditions that echo the sunlit pond margins it grows on.
About the genus
A genus-level overview — shared traits, history, the botany that ties these plants together — is on its way. For now, the species and cultivars above and below carry the genus.
Kept true by its growers
Cyperus keeps evolving — species move, cultivars appear, IDs get corrected. If you can place an unplaced plant or add a species we’re missing, the whole genus gets truer.
Overview derived from 2 tracked species · the contribute flow arrives with the next slice.