# Cyperus laevigatus > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cyperus_laevigatus > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cyperus_laevigatus.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_laevigatus > Source revision: 1314086006 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Species of plant Smooth flatsedge Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Monocots Clade: Commelinids Order: Poales Family: Cyperaceae Genus: Cyperus Species: C. laevigatus Binomial name Cyperus laevigatus L. *Cyperus laevigatus* ***Cyperus laevigatus*** is a species of [sedge](/source/Cyperus) known by the common name **smooth flatsedge**. ## Distribution *Cyperus laevigatus* is grows in wet areas, especially in [brackish water](/source/Brackish_water), wet [alkaline soils](/source/Alkali_soils), mineral-rich [hot springs](/source/Hot_spring), and other moist [saline](/source/Saline_soil) and alkaline habitat. It is widespread across tropical and subtropical regions of the [Americas](/source/Americas), [Africa](/source/Africa), the [Mediterranean Basin](/source/Mediterranean_Basin), the [Middle East](/source/Middle_East), [India](/source/India), [Central Asia](/source/Central_Asia), [Australia](/source/Australia) and various oceanic islands.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] ## Description *Cyperus laevigatus*is a perennial sedge growing up to 60 centimeters tall, sometimes in clumps interconnected on a horizontal [rhizome](/source/Rhizome). The [inflorescence](/source/Inflorescence) is a small array of cylindrical spikelets with one to three leaflike [bracts](/source/Bract) at the base. The spikelets vary in color from green to reddish to dark brown. ## History In Hawaiʻi, *Cyperus laevigatus* is known as *makaloa* and was used by the people of Ni'ihau to make beautiful plaited mats. Many of the finest examples of plaiting in Hawaiʻi are made from *makaloa*.[9] ## Ecology The caterpillars of the tiny moth *[Chedra microstigma](/source/Chedra_microstigma)* have been found to [mine](/source/Leaf_miner) within the leaves of this [host plant](/source/Larval_food_plants_of_Lepidoptera) in coastal marsh in [Oahu](/source/Oahu).[10][11] ## See also - [List of Cyperus species](/source/List_of_Cyperus_species) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Gupta, A.K.; Juffe Bignoli, D.; Lansdown, R.V. (2018). ["*Cyperus laevigatus*"](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/164060/65923957). *[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species](/source/IUCN_Red_List)*. **2018** e.T164060A65923957. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T164060A65923957.en](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T164060A65923957.en). Retrieved 25 November 2022. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families](http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=237182) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Flora of North America](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101122) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2005). Monocotyledons and Gymnosperms of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 52: 1-415. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Govaerts, R. & Simpson, D.A. (2007). World Checklist of Cyperaceae. Sedges: 1-765. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Dobignard, D. & Chatelain, C. (2010). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 1: 1-455. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Hoenselaar, K., Verdcourt, B. & Beentje, H. (2010). Cyperaceae. Flora of Tropical East Africa: 1-466. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Lambdon, P. (2012). Flowering plants & ferns of St Helena: 1-624. Pisces publications for St Helena nature conservation group. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [Hawaiian Ethnobotany](http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/resultsdetailed.asp?search=makaloa) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070702123416/http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/resultsdetailed.asp?search=makaloa) 2007-07-02 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Busck1914_10-0)** [Busck, August](/source/August_Busck) (1914). ["New Microlepidoptera from Hawaii"](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9141297). *Insecutor Inscitiae Menstruus*. **2** (7): 106. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Zimmerman1978_11-0)** [Zimmerman, Elwood C.](/source/Elwood_Zimmerman) (1978). [*Insects of Hawaii*](https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/7338/3/IOH-V09%20Microlepidoptera%203of4.pdf) (PDF). Vol. **9** Microlepidoptera. Honolulu: The University Press of Hawaii. pp. 1003–1015. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Cyperus laevigatus](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cyperus_laevigatus). - [Jepson Manual Treatment - *Cyperus laevigatus*](http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?7928,8084,8093) - [USDA Plants Profile: *Cyperus laevigatus*](https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CYLA2) - [*Cyperus laevigatus* - U.C. Photo gallery](http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Cyperus~laevigatus) Taxon identifiers Cyperus laevigatus Wikidata: Q2713001 Wikispecies: Cyperus laevigatus APDB: 38125 APNI: 97862 BOLD: 424071 Calflora: 2586 CoL: 33CLQ eFloraSA: Cyperus_laevigatus EoL: 1121846 EPPO: CYPLG EUNIS: 187613 FloraBase: 801 FNA: 242101122 FoIO: CYPLAE GBIF: 2713559 GRIN: 402835 iNaturalist: 76590 IPNI: 304938-1 IRMNG: 11121359 ITIS: 39935 IUCN: 164060 NatureServe: 2.127947 NCBI: 76432 NSWFlora: Cyperus~laevigatus NTFlora: 1587 Observation.org: 131172 Open Tree of Life: 738910 PFI: 8084 Plant List: kew-237182 PLANTS: CYLA2 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:304938-1 SANBI: 2493-40 Tropicos: 9901090 WoI: 1226 WFO: wfo-0000376262 This Cyperus article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cyperus-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3ACyperus-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Cyperus-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cyperus laevigatus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_laevigatus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_laevigatus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.