Umbrella sedge

Umbrella sedge is cultivated as an ornamental houseplant and pond-edge plant for its characteristic umbrella-shaped whorls of bracts. Its palm-like silhouette is valued as a design element for humid locations such as bathrooms or conservatories.

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As a marsh plant, Cyperus alternifolius tolerates permanently wet substrates and hydroculture — unlike most houseplants it even thrives in a saucer kept permanently filled with water. Given adequate water it is considered low-maintenance; underwatering is the most common care mistake and quickly leads to browning leaf tips.

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Cyperus alternifolius is often grown as an aquarium or paludarium edge plant, with roots submerged and the umbrellas above the water line. Continuous transpiration through the culms noticeably raises ambient humidity.

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Cyperus alternifolius belongs to the same genus as Egyptian papyrus (Cyperus papyrus), whose pith was used from around 3000 BCE to manufacture the writing material of the same name. Because of the similar umbrella shape, umbrella sedge is sometimes marketed as 'dwarf papyrus' and shown in botanical collections as an ethnobotanical family representative — although it has no documented use as a writing material in its own right.

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In Madagascar, its native range, Cyperus alternifolius grows along streams and marsh edges. Outside its home it has naturalised across many subtropical regions — including southern Europe, California, Hawaii and Australia — where it is valued as an ornamental pond-edge plant; in some countries (parts of Australia and California, for example) it is classified as invasive.

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