Cyperaceae FAMILY

Fuirena umbellata

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Fuirena umbellata is a sturdy perennial, grass-like plant with solitary, erect culms growing from short, creeping rhizomes. The plant can be 50 - 110 cm tall[ 305 Title Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk Publication Author Website http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands. , 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is sometimes used as a green manure in rice fields and for soil stabilization.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeWidespread in subtropical and tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

HabitatCommon in open wet locations, sometimes in secondary forest; at elevations up to 1,800 metres[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ]. Areas of permanent shallow water, swamps, pools, ditches, marshy lake shores, even in brackish sites[ 332 Title The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. Publication Author Burkil. H. M. Publisher Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. Year 1985 - 2004 ISBN Description Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/ , 991 Title Cyperaceae of Economic, Ethnobotanical and Horticultural Importance: A Checklist Publication Kew Bulletin Vol. 56 No. 2, pp 257 - 360 Author Simpson D.A.; Inglis C.A. Publisher The Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew, London Year 2001 ISBN 1-84246-038-2 Description An excellent and very comprehensive checklist, giving the range, habitat and uses of over 500 species. ].