輪傘莎草

Scientific name: Cyperus involucratus

English common name: Umbrella Plant, Umbrella Sedge

Chinese common name: 輪傘草，風車草、車輪草、雨傘草、傘葉莎草、傘莎草、傘草

Family: Cyperaceae 莎草科

Morphology of the plant:

root: Its root system is well-developed, anchoring the plant into the surrounding wet soil where it can spread via its rhizomes as well as by its self-seeding tendencies. In some locations, with the right conditions, it can become weedy and invasive.

stem: Herbs, with short and thick rhizomes, hard fibrous roots, clustered, upright, thick stalks, plant height 50~150 cm, nearly cylindrical

leaf: Leaves are linear, radiating from the terminal point of stem, spreading or slightly drooping, up to 20 centimeters long. The top of the stem is composed of alternate bracts, which are radial and shaped like an umbrella rib, hence the name; the leaf sheath is brown and wraps the base of the stem.

flower: Flowers are small, green and clustered. The inflorescence is a cyme, each flower has 1 bract (glume or scale), which blooms from the involucre leaves and spreads out radially. Hermaphroditic, monoecious or dioecious; perianth nil or 3 or degenerated into scales or hairs; stamens 3 or less, with bristly appendages at the top of anthers; pistil 1 carpel; stigma 2 or 3 lobed , the ovary is superior, and the placenta is born at the bottom.

seed: small, dark brown, ellipsoid, 3-angled nutlets

fruit: The fruit is an achene, oval, nearly triangular, brown, about 0.07 cm long.

How does this plant adapt to an aquatic environment?

Umbrella Plant is an emergent plant. There are many holes in its petiole to store air, so it can help it survive in an aquatic environment.

Distributions

Madagascar, Africa. Taiwan was introduced to Taiwan in 1901 by the Japanese Tashiro Yasuda from Japan. It is commonly cultivated in gardens or aquatic plant ponds in various places; domesticated umbrella grass is common in swamps, wetlands and riversides of the 恆春半島 and grows very luxuriantly.

Distribution around the world

Reproduction method

seed and rhizomes/tubers

The plant reproduces via seed and rhizomes/tubers. The level of reproduction is quite fast under hot and moist conditions. The weed effectively competes with other plants through the release of several toxic susbtances contained either in basal bulbs or in tubers.

Habitat

Umbrella Plant is a clustering perennial growing to a height of 1.5 meters.

It is a shade-tolerant aquatic plant that often embellishes dark and damp corners of gardens or aquatic plant pools with vitality. The plant shape of Cyperus sedge is very much like a small umbrella that cannot protect from the rain. With its swaying posture, it can be cultivated in clumps in the open field, in clumps by the water, or in pots. When the plant matures, the branches can be cut. It is the top Waiting for flower arrangements.

Purpose

Entertainment

Medicinal

Studies have suggested it's leaves, roots are antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, phytoremediative, hepatoprotective and antiulcer properties.
性味：帶根全草：酸、甘、涼、微苦。
效用：帶根全草：行氣活血，解毒。治瘀血作痛，蛇、蟲咬傷。

Used for ornamental, gardening and flower arrangement: it is an excellent aquatic plant and a garden shade-tolerant landscape plant.
It has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden Merit Award