Cyperus anderssonii Boeck.
Galápagos sedge, Andersson’s sedge, cyperus
Galápagos sedge, one of 18 species of sedge found on the Galápagos Islands, is found on Baltra, Darwin, Fernandina, Floreana, Genovesa, Isabela, Marchena, Pinta, Pinzón, Rábida, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Santa Fé, Santiago, and Wolf. It is native, while 15 of the other species are not.
Galápagos sedge (Cyperus anderssonii), is also called Andersson’s sedge. Don’t confuse it with Anderson’s sedge (Carex andersonii).
Plants: Multiple erect stems are up to 2′ (70 cm) high. Stems have triangular cross-sections.
Leaves: Basal, about the same height as the stems, and 1/16–⅛″ (2–6 mm) wide.
Flowers: Flowers appear atop stems in umbel-like corymbs, on spikes up to 3½″ (9 cm). The spike bases have 3-7 long bracts, and the tips have spikelets, each with two to three yellowish brown to reddish brown flowers.
Fruits: Dark brown elliptical achenes are 1/32″ (1 mm) long, containing a single seed.
Habitats: Coastal zone, arid lowlands, and moist uplands.
Online References:
References:
McMullen, Conley K., Flowering Plants of the Galápagos, Comstock Publishing Associates, 1999, p. 237
3/31/2025 · Puerto Egas, Santiago, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 17 cm) 
4/2/2025 · Lava Fields, Sullivan Bay, Santiago, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador · By Heather Kent and Kathryn Morgis 
4/1/2025 · Tagus Cove, Isabela Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador · By Kathryn Morgis 
4/1/2025 · Tagus Cove, Isabela Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador · By Kathryn Morgis 
3/31/2025 · Puerto Egas, Santiago, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 17 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Commelinidae | Dayflowers and spiderworts, and several others |
| Order | Cyperales | Flowering plants including grasses |
| Family | Cyperaceae | Sedge family |
| Genus | Cyperus | From an ancient Greek word meaning “sedge” |
| Species | anderssonii | For Swedish botanist Nils Johan Andersson (1821–1880) |
Cyperus anderssonii description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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