Yellow nutsedge

Discuss this plant with the guide — choose this profile as a possible match and prepare your observations for Colorado Plants & Practical Care.

Cyperus esculentus

Colorado noxious weed · List B — Stop the spread. CO-rules-2025

Established in some areas. Requirements vary by location: eradication, containment or suppression to stop further spread. This is a management category, separate from danger ratings. Category source · What the lists mean.

Underground tubers sustain infestations. Exposure help.

Identification caveat: This listed sedge is described as native in the NC source; that broad range label is not a Colorado nativity assessment. It is distinct from purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus).

Still researching this plant

This is a sourced working profile. Evidence is incomplete for People, Dogs & cats, Other animals. Identification and source-photo limits are explained below. Independent botanical and veterinary review is pending. Uncertainty is not a finding that the plant is safe.

Three views of this plant

Source-identified reference photographs; these are not a complete identification key. A source location outside Colorado does not establish local occurrence.

**habit** — Yellow nutsedge with upright leafy stems and radiating yellow-green spikelet clusters.
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source-identified photograph with visual consistency check Cyperus esculentus at Ridgemoor Country Club in Chicago, USA Source labeling and visible consistency checked; not an independent specimen determination.
Wikimedia-generated thumbnail rescaling only; downloaded bytes unchanged. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

**tubers** — A close view of harvested brown tiger-nut tubers of Cyperus esculentus.
Tamorlan · CC BY 3.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source-identified photograph with visual consistency check Tiger Nut Source labeling and visible consistency checked; not an independent specimen determination.
Wikimedia-generated thumbnail rescaling only; downloaded bytes unchanged. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

**inflorescence** — A yellow nutsedge inflorescence viewed from above, surrounded by long leaflike green bracts.
Homer Edward Price · CC BY 2.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source-identified photograph with visual consistency check Found in Oscar Scherer State Park, Florida Source labeling and visible consistency checked; not an independent specimen determination.
Wikimedia-generated thumbnail rescaling only; downloaded bytes unchanged. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

Recognize

A glossy, grass-like sedge with narrow, channeled leaves and triangular stems. Underground tubers are important identification features. N-cyperus-esculentus

Plants & habitat

Rhizomes and tubers compete strongly with crops and can remain after shoots are pulled. Ordinary lawn-grass treatments may not control a sedge. N-cyperus-esculentus

People

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for people. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Dogs & cats

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for dogs or cats. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Other animals

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for livestock. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Before taking action

Confirm identification and the requirements of your county weed program. For chemical treatment, follow the current product label, including restrictions around animals and water. S27

References

CO-rules-2025 — Colorado Noxious Weed Act rules, 8 CCR 1206-2, Colorado Secretary of State / Department of Agriculture. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:07:48+00:00. Locator: Parts 3.1, 4.1, 5.1; management provisions; effective May 15, 2025.
N-cyperus-esculentus — cyperus esculentus — Plant Toolbox, NC State Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:04:54+00:00. Locator: Description; Attributes; Problems; Poisonous to Humans.
S27 — 2103 – Colorado Noxious Weeds, PlantTalk Colorado · CSU Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T00:23:57+00:00. Locator: List A, B and C management categories.

Content revised 2026-09-07 03:50:00Z · Source checks dated separately in the references.