Habit
pjt56 ---, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Papyrus
Cyperus papyrus L.
Also known as: Paper reed, Papyrus sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
1.5 to 3 m tall (stem)
Banks and shallow water; grown in a pot submerged in garden ponds or indoors in a bright position
Flowering: Summer (inconspicuous flower clusters, the horticultural interest is the foliage)
Full sun
Part shade
Not hardy (freezes below 5°C); overwinter indoors outside very mild climates
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
The world's oldest paper is made from this plant: the Egyptians cut the pith of its stems into thin strips, laid them crosswise and pressed them to make writing sheets.
🍃 Leaves
Reduced to sheaths at the base of the stem; the 'leafy' look actually comes from the long thread-like bracts in an umbel at the top of the stems
🌸 Flowers
Tiny, greenish, grouped in spikelets at the ends of slender bracts arranged in a spherical pompom
🍎 Fruits
Small brown achene, barely visible
🪵 Bark
Triangular stems (culms), smooth, bright green, unbranched
🗺️ Distribution
Native to tropical Africa and the Nile valley; grown as an ornamental pond plant worldwide
🐝 Value for pollinators
Negligible, wind-pollinated plant
✂️ Horticultural uses
Architectural pond or submerged-pot plant, prized for its graphic pompom foliage; it is the plant from which the ancient Egyptians made the paper of the same name
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Non-toxic
🌿 Other Cyperaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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