
Umbrella papyrus
Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cyperus alternifolius, commonly known as umbrella papyrus, umbrella plant, or umbrella sedge, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the sedge family (Cyperaceae). Native to West Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula, it is widely cultivated around the world as an ornamental plant. It typically grows in wetlands, pond margins, and moist garden soils, thriving in warm, humid environments with abundant water. The plant features upright, triangular stems topped with a whorl of slender, radiating bracts that resemble the spokes of an umbrella—its most distinctive trait.
Names
Scientific
Cyperus alternifolius
English
Umbrella palm
Umbrella papyrus
Umbrella sedge
Dutch
Parapluplant
Spanish
Paragüita
French
Souchet à feuilles alternes
German
Zypergras
Zyperngras
Taxonomy
Order
Poales
Family
Cyperaceae
Genus
Cyperus
Species
Cyperus alternifolius (Umbrella papyrus)
Crop categories
Fiber crops
Mediterranean crops
Ornamental plants
Subtropical crops
Tropical crops
Pictures

Umbrella papyrus
Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Umbrella papyrus
Ksarasola, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Umbrella papyrus
Tauʻolunga, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons