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Pictured: Cyperus nanus — the species. This variety isn’t separately illustrated.
Cyperaceae family

Indian Flatsedge (var. subtenuis) Cyperus nanus var. subtenuis variety

Native

Indian Flatsedge (var. subtenuis) is a perennial grass native to U.S. outlying islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

More about this plant

Cyperus nanus, commonly known as the Indian flatsedge, is a species of sedge that is native to eastern parts of Mexico and islands of the Caribbean. Wikipedia →

Growing & care

USDA PLANTS · TRY
Size & form
Sources · Size & form
USDA PLANTS — Lifespan
Lifespan
Perennial
In the garden
Herb layer — Sits in the herb of a layered food forest or polyculture.Open guide →
derived roles
Species characteristics from USDA PLANTS (public domain) + TRY (CC BY) — general guidance, not a guarantee for your exact site. Deer "browsing" is documented palatability, not a deer-proof claim.

Wildlife & pollinators

How pollinator value is scored →
❧ Caterpillar hosts ~5 caterpillar species

Cyperus supports ~5 caterpillar species.

Native butterfly & moth caterpillars are the base of the terrestrial food web — most songbirds rear their young almost entirely on them. As a host for native Lepidoptera this is a modest genus.

Recorded feeding on Cyperus in North America, including:

Bactra lanceolana · leafroller moth Bactra verutana · Javelin Moth Cosmopterix attenuatella · cosmet moth Dasychira cinnamomea · Cinnamon Tussock Moth Elasmopalpus lignosellus · Lesser Cornstalk Borer Euphyes pilatka · Palatka Skipper
+ 4 more species →
Euphyes vestris · Dun Skipper Loxostege sticticalis · snout moth Paralipsa gularis · snout moth Spodoptera frugiperda · Fall Armyworm Moth
Keystone count (genus-level) from Warren II 2026 (CC0) · Tallamy host-use records. Named species (a documented Nearctic sample, not exhaustive) from NHM HOSTS (CC0).
Species thumbnails re-hosted from iNaturalist — Creative Commons, credited per image (hover for credit). Click any species to see it on iNaturalist. Not exhaustive; many taxa have no openly-licensed photo yet.
Sources for this entry (10) Open & cited
[01] Scientific name & family — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[02] Growth habit & duration — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[03] Native status & distribution — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[04] Common name — USDA PLANTS (via GBIF)
[05] Invasive / introduced status — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503) — native status
[06] Description — Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
[07] Ecological value — Warren II 2026 (CC0) · Tallamy host-use counts
[08] Caterpillar host count — Warren II 2026 (Dryad, CC0) · Tallamy host-use counts
[09] Caterpillar species — NHM HOSTS (CC0)
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