Code
KYLBU
Growth form
sedge
Biological cycle
vivacious
Habitat
terrestrial
🗒 Synonyms
| synonym | Cyperus geminiflorus (Steud.) Wickens |
| synonym | Cyperus purpureoglandulosus Mattf. & Kük. |
| synonym | Cyperus richardii Steud. |
| synonym | Cyperus richardii var. angustior (C.B.Clarke) Kük. |
| synonym | Cyperus richardii var. oliganthus (Cherm.) Kük. |
| synonym | Kyllinga geminiflora Steud. |
| synonym | Kyllinga leucantha Boeckeler |
| synonym | Kyllinga macrocephala A.Rich. |
| synonym | Kyllinga macrocephala var. angustior C.B.Clarke |
| synonym | Kyllinga macrocephala var. oligantha Cherm. |
| synonym | Kyllinga monocephala Nees [Illegitimate] |
| synonym | Kyllinga monocephala Nees, nom. illeg. |
| synonym | Kyllinga nana Nees |
| synonym | Kyllinga parvula C.B.Clarke ex Rendle |
| synonym | Kyllinga pumila Steud. [Illegitimate] |
| synonym | Kyllinga pumila Steud., nom. illeg. |
| synonym | Kyllinga schimperi Hochst. ex Engl. [Invalid] |
| synonym | Kyllinga schimperi Hochst. ex Engl., pro syn. |
| synonym | Kyllinga sphaerocephala Boeckeler |
🗒 Common Names
| Créole Maurice |
|
| Créole Seychelles |
|
📚 Overview
Description
Global description
Kyllinga bulbosa is a vivacious herbaceous plant, with fairly long, creeping, slender rhizomes. The stems holding the inflorescences are slender but swollen at the base in the form of bulbs or tubers, of triangular section, measuring up to 35 cm high. The leaves are linear, narrow, planar, arranged in three directions, at the base of flowering stalks. Flowers are grouped at the end of the stem in a short globular unique spike, pale green or whitish in colour, 7 to 10 mm high. Under the inflorescence are 3 to 4 leaves horizontal linear leaves. The spikelets have 3 to 5 flowers, usually producing three ellipsoids brown or black seeds.
First leaves
The first leaves are linear, with short curved blade, with acute apex, and having a large V-section finely scabrous margin, the sheaths are interlocked in a tristichous manner.
General habit
Herbaceous perennial plant that grows in loose clumps. The flowering axes measure 10 to 35 cm high.
Underground system
The underground system is formed of fibrous roots and slender slightly long rhizomes.
Stem
The stem is the flowering axis. It is small, trigonal, full, thickened at the base which makes it look like a bulb or a tuber. It measures 10 to 35 cm high.
Leaf
The leaves are simple, alternate, arranged tristichously at the base of the flowering axis. The leaf blade is sessile, narrow, 5 to 20 cm long and 1 to 3 mm wide, in section V. The apex is very acute. Both sides are glabrous, the margin is full and smooth. Wrinkled leaves release a pleasant odour of fresh grass (Coumarin)
Inflorescence
The inflorescence is a short unique spike, dense, ellipsoid to globular, 7 to 10 mm long and 5 to 8 mm in diameter, light green to whitish in color. The spike is underpinned by 3 to 4 involucrable spreading bracts, reaching 10 to 15 cm long, very narrow.
Spikelet
The spikelets 2.5 to 4 mm long, comprising of 3 to 5 hermaphrodite flowers. The glumes are remote, lanceolate, quite large, trinervate. A spikelet usually produce three achenes.
Fruit
The fruit is a brown or black color achene, obovoid or ellipsoid in shape, matching half the glume.
Kyllinga bulbosa is a vivacious herbaceous plant, with fairly long, creeping, slender rhizomes. The stems holding the inflorescences are slender but swollen at the base in the form of bulbs or tubers, of triangular section, measuring up to 35 cm high. The leaves are linear, narrow, planar, arranged in three directions, at the base of flowering stalks. Flowers are grouped at the end of the stem in a short globular unique spike, pale green or whitish in colour, 7 to 10 mm high. Under the inflorescence are 3 to 4 leaves horizontal linear leaves. The spikelets have 3 to 5 flowers, usually producing three ellipsoids brown or black seeds.
First leaves
The first leaves are linear, with short curved blade, with acute apex, and having a large V-section finely scabrous margin, the sheaths are interlocked in a tristichous manner.
General habit
Herbaceous perennial plant that grows in loose clumps. The flowering axes measure 10 to 35 cm high.
Underground system
The underground system is formed of fibrous roots and slender slightly long rhizomes.
Stem
The stem is the flowering axis. It is small, trigonal, full, thickened at the base which makes it look like a bulb or a tuber. It measures 10 to 35 cm high.
Leaf
The leaves are simple, alternate, arranged tristichously at the base of the flowering axis. The leaf blade is sessile, narrow, 5 to 20 cm long and 1 to 3 mm wide, in section V. The apex is very acute. Both sides are glabrous, the margin is full and smooth. Wrinkled leaves release a pleasant odour of fresh grass (Coumarin)
Inflorescence
The inflorescence is a short unique spike, dense, ellipsoid to globular, 7 to 10 mm long and 5 to 8 mm in diameter, light green to whitish in color. The spike is underpinned by 3 to 4 involucrable spreading bracts, reaching 10 to 15 cm long, very narrow.
Spikelet
The spikelets 2.5 to 4 mm long, comprising of 3 to 5 hermaphrodite flowers. The glumes are remote, lanceolate, quite large, trinervate. A spikelet usually produce three achenes.
Fruit
The fruit is a brown or black color achene, obovoid or ellipsoid in shape, matching half the glume.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
No Data
📚 Nomenclature and Classification
No Data
📚 Natural History
Life Cycle
Life cycle
Vivacious
Mayotte: Kyllinga bulbosa flowers and fruits all year round.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Reproduction
Kyllinga bulbosa is a vivacious plant that grows in clumps and multiply vegetatively by thread-like slender rhizomes. It also propagates by seed.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Morphology
Growth form
Tuft plant with narrow leaves
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Grass or grass-like
Grass-like leaf type
Sedge leaf
Type of prefoliation
Folded lead
Latex
Without latex
Stem section
Triangular
Root type
Rhizome
Fibrous roots
Hollow or solid stem
Solid stem
Stipule type
No stipule
Leaf attachment type
Cyperaceae leaf
Fruit type
Achene
Achene type
Achene biconvex
Lamina base
sheathing the triangular stems
Lamina margin
entire
Lamina apex
attenuate
Upperface pilosity
Glabrous
Lowerface pilosity
Glabrous
Simple leaf type
Lamina linear
Lamina section
folded
Lamina Veination
Parallel
Flower color
Green
White
Inflorescence type
Condensed spike
Stem pilosity
Glabrous
Life form
Geophytic plant
Sedge leaf
Look Alikes
The different species of Cyperaceae are difficult to identify at the juvenile stages: the Kyllinga differ from other cyperaceae by the pleasant smell of fresh grass (coumarin) that are exhaled when their leaves are wrinkled.
Kyllinga squamulata exhals a lemon smell when crushed at the base
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
The different species of Cyperaceae are difficult to identify at the juvenile stages: the Kyllinga differ from other cyperaceae by the pleasant smell of fresh grass (coumarin) that are exhaled when their leaves are wrinkled.
Kyllinga squamulata exhals a lemon smell when crushed at the base
Identification Keys for some Kyllinga spp.
| Species | Biological cycle | Underground system | Position of bracts | Bracts Number Size |
Number of glomerules | Couleur of glomerules | Spikelets Size | Glume Keel |
| Kyllinga brevifolia | vivacious | Thin and slender rhizomes Base not bulbose |
Spread | 2-4 < 10 cm |
1 (-3) | Green | L 3-3,5 mm | white with green keel, scabrous towards the apex |
| Kyllinga bulbosa | Thin and slender rhizomes Base bulbose |
3-4 10-15 cm |
1-3 | White | L 2,5-3 mm | |||
| Kyllinga erecta | Thick and short rhizomes | spread to reflected | 5-8 upto 25 cm |
1 | Pale green | L 3-3,5 mm | spinulate mucronate |
|
| Kyllinga pumila | annual | No or very short rhizome | spread | 3-4 One much longer |
1-3 | L < 2,5 mm | scabrous denticulate |
|
| Kyllinga squamulata | 3-4 | 1(-3) | Green or dark brown | L 2,7-4 mm | winged, lobed tough |
|||
| Kyllinga tenuifolia | 3-4 | Whitish | L 3 mm | glume top with mucro keel smooth |
||||
| Kyllinga odorata | reflected | 3-5 | 1-3 | Whitish green | L < 2,5 mm | smooth |
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
Kyllinga bulbosa can be easily confused with K. erecta Schumach.
- K. bulbosa is characterized by a thickened tuberous axis base, the presence of long, small rhizomes, the spikelets have 3 to 5 flowers.
- K. erecta is characterized by large short rhizomes and dense stems. Spikelets have 1 to 2 flowers.
Thomas Le Bourgeois
| Attributions | |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Ecology
Comoros: Kyllinga bulbosa is absent.
Madagascar: K. bulbosa is present locally on the highlands.
Mauritius: Plant common in high and humid regions of the island
Mayotte: K. bulbosa is a weed present in fruit and ylang-tree crops in the rainy and intermediate zones of the north and center of the island.
Reunion: Species of wetlands, mainly develops on the east coast of the island and at altitude
Seychelles: Species present in vegetable crops.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
No Data
📚 Habitat and Distribution
General Habitat
Habitat
Terrestrial
Description
Geographical distibution
Madagascar
Reunion Island
Mauritius
Seychelles
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Origin
Kyllinga bulbosa is native to tropical Africa, India and tropical Asia.
Worldwide distribution
This species has been introduced to the east coast of Australia and to the islands of the Indian Ocean (Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion).
Thomas Le Bourgeois
| Attributions | |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
📚 Occurrence
No Data
📚 Demography and Conservation
Risk Statement
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Local harmfulness
Comoros: Kyllinga bulbosa is absent.
Madagascar: K. bulbosa is a weed still uncommon.
Mauritius: Weed harmful to sugar cane when it is well established in the plots.
Mayotte: K. bulbosa is an infrequent weed, present in 7% of cultivated plots and more particularly in fruit and ylang trees.
Reunion: A weed of pastures and orchards or vanilla plantation with live coverage of the East Coast.
Seychelles: weed of vegetable crops, especially present in late cycle. Slightly troublesome.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
📚 Uses and Management
Uses
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Medicinal: Kyllinga bulbosa root powder has anti-arthritic activity. The whole plant has anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic properties.
Wiktrop
| Attributions | Wiktrop |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
📚 Information Listing
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
Thomas Le Bourgeois
| Attributions | |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
References
- Le Bourgeois, T., A. Carrara, M. Dodet, W. Dogley, A. Gaungoo, P. Grard, Y. Ibrahim, E. Jeuffrault, G. Lebreton, P. Poilecot, J. Prosperi, J. A. Randriamampianina, A. P. Andrianaivo and F. Théveny (2008). Advent-OI : Principales adventices des îles du sud-ouest de l'Océan Indien. Cirad. Montpellier, France, Cirad.
- Huat, J., Nagy, M., Carpente, A., Schwartz, M., Le Bourgeois, T. & Marnotte, P. 2021. Guide de la flore spontannée des agrosystèmes de Mayotte. Montpellier, Cirad. 150 p.
Information Listing > References
- Le Bourgeois, T., A. Carrara, M. Dodet, W. Dogley, A. Gaungoo, P. Grard, Y. Ibrahim, E. Jeuffrault, G. Lebreton, P. Poilecot, J. Prosperi, J. A. Randriamampianina, A. P. Andrianaivo and F. Théveny (2008). Advent-OI : Principales adventices des îles du sud-ouest de l'Océan Indien. Cirad. Montpellier, France, Cirad.
- Huat, J., Nagy, M., Carpente, A., Schwartz, M., Le Bourgeois, T. & Marnotte, P. 2021. Guide de la flore spontannée des agrosystèmes de Mayotte. Montpellier, Cirad. 150 p.
Images
There is content in another language. Please click here to read it. (Français)
Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT:
https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Kyllinga%2520bulbosa
Thomas Le Bourgeois
| Attributions | |
| Contributors | |
| Status | UNDER_CREATION |
| Licenses | CC_BY |
| References |
No Data
🐾 Taxonomy
| Root | Root |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Liliopsida |
| Order | Poales |
| Family | Cyperaceae |
| Genus | Kyllinga |
| Species | Kyllinga bulbosa P.Beauv. |
📊 Temporal Distribution
📷 Related Observations
