Taxon: Cyperus brevifolius (Rottb.) Endl. ex Hassk.

Summary

Genus:

Cyperus

Family:

Cyperaceae

Subfamily:

Cyperoideae

Tribe:

Cypereae

Nomen number:

70215

Place of publication:

Cat. hort. bot. bogor. 24. 1844

Verified:

12/10/2009 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

2 (1 active, 1 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb.

Autonym(s)
Cyperus brevifolius (Rottb.) Endl. ex Hassk. var. brevifolius

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb. var. brevifolia

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana. Note: = Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb.
Foreman, D. B. & N. G. Walsh. 1993-. Flora of Victoria.
Gomes, G. L. G. C. et al. 2010. Cadastramento fitossociológico de plantas daninhas na bananicultura. Pl. Daninha 28:61-68. Note: weed in banana fields on dry sites in São Paulo State
Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges. Note: = Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb.
Harden, G. J., ed. 1990-1993. Flora of New South Wales.
Holm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds Note: as Kyllinga brevifolia
Holm, L. et al. 1997. World weeds: natural histories and distribution John Wiley & Sons, New York, New York.
Jessop, J. P. & H. R. Toelken, eds. 1986. Flora of South Australia, ed. 4.
Pereira-Silva, L. et al. 2022. Diversity and taxonomy of Cyperus (Cyperaceae) in the Central-West region of Brazil. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 107:480-545. DOI: 10.3417/2022760.
Proctor, G. R. 1984. Flora of the Cayman Islands. Kew Bulletin Additional Series XI.
Stanley, T. D. & E. M. Ross. 1983-1989. Flora of south-eastern Queensland.
Steed, S. T. 2014. Ornamental preemergent herbicide efficacy. Proc. Florida State Hort. Soc. 127:170-171. Note: as a weed in nurseries

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	green kyllinga	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	perennial greenhead sedge	1	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: as Kyllinga brevifolia
English (Australia)	Mullumbimby-couch	2	Stanley, T. D. & E. M. Ross. 1983-1989. Flora of south-eastern Queensland. Note: as Kyllinga brevifolia
Japanese Rōmaji	aida-kugu	2	Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (Engl. ed.).

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Kenya			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Uganda			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	Middle Atlantic Ocean	St. Helena			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Ethiopia			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Sudan			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Yemen	Arkhabīl Suquţrá		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	KwaZulu-Natal		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Western Cape		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Liberia			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Togo			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Burundi			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Cameroon			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Democratic Republic of the Congo			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Equatorial Guinea			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Rwanda			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Comoros			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Madagascar			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Mauritius			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Reunion			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Seychelles			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Honshu		Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (Engl. ed.).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Kyushu		Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (Engl. ed.).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Ryukyu Islands		Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (Engl. ed.).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Shikoku		Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (Engl. ed.).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Korea			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Taiwan			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Afghanistan			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Bangladesh			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Bhutan			Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Nepal			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Pakistan			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Sri Lanka			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Thailand			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Vietnam			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Malaysia			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Philippines			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Papuasia	Papua New Guinea			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	New South Wales		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Northern Territory		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Queensland		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	South Australia		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Western Australia		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Australasia	New Zealand	New Zealand			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Oklahoma		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
1	Native	Northern America	South-Central U.S.A.	United States	Texas		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Alabama		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Florida		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Georgia		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Louisiana		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Mississippi		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	North Carolina		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	South Carolina		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
1	Native	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Kiribati	Gilbert Islands		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil		n.	Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Bahamas			Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Bermuda			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cayman Islands			Proctor, G. R. 1984. Flora of the Cayman Islands. Kew Bulletin Additional Series XI.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominican Republic			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Trinidad and Tobago			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	French Guiana			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Guyana			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Suriname			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Paraguay			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Uruguay			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Bolivia			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador		incl. Galapagos	Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Macaronesia	Portugal	Azores		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Macaronesia	Portugal	Madeira Islands		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southwestern Europe	Portugal			Castroviejo, S. et al., eds. 1989-. Flora iberica: plantas vasculares de la Peninsula Iberica e Islas Baleares.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southwestern Europe	Spain			Castroviejo, S. et al., eds. 1989-. Flora iberica: plantas vasculares de la Peninsula Iberica e Islas Baleares.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southwestern U.S.A.	United States	California		Baldwin, B. G. et al., eds. The Jepson manual: vascular plants of California (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	North-Central Pacific	United States	Hawaii		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
4	Naturalized	Pacific	South-Central Pacific	French Polynesia	Marquesas Islands		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
4	Naturalized	Pacific	South-Central Pacific	French Polynesia	Tuamotu Archipelago		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
4	Naturalized	Pacific	South-Central Pacific	Pitcairn			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Fiji			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Niue			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
4	Naturalized	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Tonga			Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Southern South America	Chile	Easter Island		Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.

Native
Africa

MIDDLE ATLANTIC OCEAN: St. Helena
NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen [Arkhabīl Suquţrá]
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Liberia, Nigeria, Togo
SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa [KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape]
WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, Seychelles

Asia-Temperate

WESTERN ASIA: Afghanistan
CHINA: China
EASTERN ASIA: Korea, Japan [Honshu, Kyushu, Ryukyu Islands, Shikoku], Taiwan

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan
PAPUASIA: Papua New Guinea
INDO-CHINA: Thailand, Vietnam
MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines

Australasia

AUSTRALIA: Australia [New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory]
NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand

Northern America

NORTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Oklahoma]
SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina]
SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Texas]

Pacific

SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Kiribati [Gilbert Islands]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, United States [Puerto Rico]
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
BRAZIL: Brazil (n.)
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador (incl. Galapagos), Peru
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay

Naturalized
Africa

MACARONESIA: Portugal [Azores, Madeira Islands]

Europe

SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain, Portugal

Northern America

SOUTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [California]

Pacific

NORTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: United States [Hawaii]
SOUTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: Pitcairn, French Polynesia [Marquesas Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago]
SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Fiji, Niue, Tonga

Southern America

SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Chile [Easter Island]

Reference(s)

Baldwin, B. G. et al., eds. The Jepson manual: vascular plants of California (on-line resource).
Castroviejo, S. et al., eds. 1989-. Flora iberica: plantas vasculares de la Peninsula Iberica e Islas Baleares.
Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
Govaerts, R. & D. A. Simpson. 2007. World checklist of Cyperaceae, sedges.
Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim.
Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (Engl. ed.).
Proctor, G. R. 1984. Flora of the Cayman Islands. Kew Bulletin Additional Series XI.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Medicines	folklore		Padua, L. S. de et al., eds. 1999. Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 12(1):225.
Weed			Bryson, C. T. et al. 1997. Kyllinga, a genus of neglected weeds in the continental United States. Weed Technol. 11:838-842. Note: as Kyllinga brevifolia
Weed			Holm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds Note: as Kyllinga brevifolia
Weed		in banana plantations	Gomes, G. L. G. C. et al. 2010. Cadastramento fitossociológico de plantas daninhas na bananicultura. Pl. Daninha 28:61-68. Note: weed in banana fields on dry sites in São Paulo State
Weed		in nurseries of ornamentals	Steed, S. T. 2014. Ornamental preemergent herbicide efficacy. Proc. Florida State Hort. Soc. 127:170-171. Note: as a weed in nurseries

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=70215. Accessed 12 May 2026.