Mothe / Slender Cyperus
Cyperus distans
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand & more
- Flowering
- September-November
How to identify Mothe
Identify Mothe by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Widely spaced (distant) spikelets.
- Confirm flower colour: Golden-brown.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: September-November.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Kerala and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Cyperaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Mothe.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Cyperus distans
- Genus
- Cyperus
- Family
- Cyperaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Along banks of streams, also in wastelands
- Native to
- Pantropical
- Distribution
- Tropical & sub-tropical regions of both hemispheres
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- September-November
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (LC)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Cyperaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Golden-brownrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Achene
Characters marked “recorded” are for Mothe itself; the rest are typical of the Cyperaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Nepali
- मोथे Mothe
About Mothe
A member of the Cyperaceae family, Slender Cyperus (Cyperus distans) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand and 6 other states. It grows in along banks of streams, also in wastelands. Flowering and fruiting run from September to November.
Cyperaceae
Sedge family
Mothe belongs to the Cyperaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Cyperaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides