Kyllinga nemoralis (J.R. Forst. & G. Forst.) Dandy ex Hutch. & Dalziel

White water sedge, whitehead spikesedge, white-flowered kyllinga, nut grass

This native of Australia (Queensland) and some Pacific islands has become naturalized in Hawaiʻi, where it is con­sidered an alien invasive.

Plants: These perennials spread via creeping rhizomes. Their culms are tufted or spaced, standing straight, up to 1½′ (55 cm) in height. Like other sedges, the culms are triangular in cross-section.

Leaves: Grasslike leaves are linear, almost as long as the culms, 1/32–⅛″ (1.5–3 mm) wide. Leaf sheafs are brown or purple-brown.

Flowers: Flowerheads are roughly spherical, ⅛–⅜″ (5–10 mm) around. Usually there is a single flowerhead, but up to three smaller heads may be fused to the largest one. Beneath the flowerhead are 3 or 4 long bracts, grasslike spikes, up to 8″ (20 cm) in length.

Habitats: Shaded meadows, rock crevices and along roadsides.

Medical: White water sedge is used by:

• Chinese, for colds, bronchitis, malaria, arthritis, and dysentary
• Malaysians, for diarrhea
• Polynesians, for joint pain and rheumatic problems
• (Asian) Indians, for intestinal problems

When a single plant has a wide range of disaparate uses reported, I can’t help but wonder whether any of them are valid. But a 2011 paper, “Kyllinga nemoralis (Hutch & Dalz) (Cyperaceae): Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharma­cology,” summarized: “An exhaustive survey of literature revealed that flavonoids, saponins, phenols, terpenes, lipids and glycosides constitute major classes of phyto­con­stit­uents of this plant. Pharmacological reports revealed that it is having analgesic, antidiabetic, anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, hepato­protective and antimalarial pro­perties.”

Similar species.

Online References:

Older scientific or horticultural names

Kyllinga nemoralis description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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