Cyperaceae · Cyperus

Bara-Nagar-Motha / Nut Grass

Cyperus rotundus

Also known as Purple Flat Sedge

HerboutdoorMedicinal
Habit
Herb
Found in India
Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & more
Flowering
Throughout the year

Plant Details

Scientific name
Cyperus rotundus
Genus
Cyperus
Habit
Herb
Habitat
Plains
Habitat type
Plains
Distribution
Pantropical
Found in India
Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Delhi, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Daman & Diu, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Telangana
Flowering & fruiting
Throughout the year
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)

Leaf characters

Arrangement
Alternate
Simple type leaf character
Type
Simple
Entire margin leaf character
Margin
Entire
Parallel venation leaf character
Venation
Parallel

Typical of the Cyperaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower colour
Purple-brownrecorded
Fruit type
NutrecordedA hard-shelled, single-seeded fruit that does not split open.The names "nut grass" and "nut sedge" – shared with the related species Cyperus esculentus – are derived from its tubers, that somewhat resemble nuts, although botanically they hav — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Inflorescence
Spike
Fruit
Achene

Characters marked “recorded” are for Bara-Nagar-Motha itself; the rest are typical of the Cyperaceae family — flowering plants only.

Local Names

Hindi
बड़ा नागर मोथा Bara-nagar-motha, कोरेही झाड़ Korehi-jhar, मोथा Motha
Nepali
मोथे Mothe, नगर मोथे Nagar Mothe, कसुर Kasur
Bengali
মুথা, একধরনের বহু বর্ষজীবী ঘাস জাতীয় উদ্ভিদ
Tamil
korai, korai kilangu, muthakasu
Telugu
bhadra-tunga-muste, bhadramuste, తుంగ గడ్డి
Kannada
abdahullu, ಕೊಡನಾರಿ Kodanaari, ಕೊನ್ನಾರಿ Konnaari
Malayalam
karimuttan, kora-kizanna, muttanna
Marathi
बारीक मोथा Barik motha, Bimbal, नागरमोथा

About Bara-Nagar-Motha

A member of the Cyperaceae family, Nut grass (Cyperus rotundus) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and 23 other states. It grows in plains. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.

Uses

In practice it is grown for parts that are eaten and long used in traditional medicine. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.

Illustration representing the Cyperaceae family
Botanical family

Cyperaceae

Sedge family

Bara-Nagar-Motha belongs to the Cyperaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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