tapertip flatsedge

Cyperus acuminatus Torr. & Hook.

Tapertip flatsedge gathers its flowers into small, crowded heads above a tuft of narrow leaves. Kew treats it as an annual in the sedge family. Its native distribution extends across much of the United States into northeastern Mexico, including the central plains, western states and parts of the Southeast. Kew POWO: Cyperus acuminatus SERNEC: Cyperus acuminatus, FNA and Morton Arboretum treatments

Botanical name

Kew accepts Cyperus acuminatus Torr. & Hook.; the catalog’s longer author citation identifies the same species. Kew POWO: Cyperus acuminatus Vascular Plants of North Carolina: Cyperus acuminatus

Recognizing the plant

Flora of North America describes slender stems usually twenty to thirty centimetres tall, rounded-triangular in cross-section. The few leaves may be flat or folded into a V. Three to six leaflike bracts stand beneath the flowering branches, often projecting well beyond them. Each hemispherical head contains many flattened, egg-shaped spikelets, with yellowish or greenish scales ending in small sharp points. The tiny brown fruits are about a millimetre long, narrowing into a fine beak at the tip. SERNEC: Cyperus acuminatus, FNA and Morton Arboretum treatments

Seasonal development

Flora of North America region

The North American flora records fruiting from July through October. SERNEC: Cyperus acuminatus, FNA and Morton Arboretum treatments

Native range

Wet, often sandy shores and damp disturbed soils are characteristic habitats, from near sea level to about 1,500 metres in the North American treatment. The Chicago regional account also records it in ditches and exposed mud flats. SERNEC: Cyperus acuminatus, FNA and Morton Arboretum treatments

Botanical sources

Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.