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Cyperus esculentus - L.

Tiger Nut

Author	L.	Botanical references	50, 200
Family	Cyperaceae	Genus	Cyperus
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Original range is obscure, the plant is a widespread weed from the Tropics to the Temperate zone.
Habitat	Muddy soil and shallow water, also as a weed of cultivated ground in southern Europe[50].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	2 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.9m at a fast rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist or wet soil.

Habitats

Bog Garden; Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root.

Edible Uses: Coffee; Oil.

Tuber - raw, cooked or dried and ground into a powder[2, 4, 55, 62, 85, 95, 183].They are also used in confectionery[183]. A delicious nut-like flavour[1, 61, 183] but rather chewy and with a tough skin[K]. They taste best when dried[27]. They can be cooked in barley water to give them a sweet flavour and then be used as a dessert nut[183]. A refreshing beverage is made by mixing the ground tubers with water, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla and ice[183]. The ground up tuber can also be made into a plant milk with water, wheat and sugar[183]. An edible oil is obtained from the tuber. It is considered to be a superior oil that compares favourably with olive oil[183]. The roasted tubers are a coffee substitute[2, 62, 183]. The base of the plant can be used in salads[183]. (This probably means the base of the leaf stems[K])

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Aphrodisiac; Carminative; Digestive; Diuretic; Emmenagogue; Stimulant; Tonic.

Tiger nuts are regarded as a digestive tonic, having a heating and drying effect on the digestive system and alleviating flatulence[254]. They also promote urine production and menstruation[254]. The tubers are said to be aphrodisiac, carminative, diuretic, emmenagogue, stimulant and tonic[240, 254]. In Ayurvedic medicine they are used in the treatment of flatulence, indigestion, colic, diarrhoea, dysentery, debility and excessive thirst[254].

Other Uses

Oil; Weaving.

The tubers contain up to 30% of a non-drying oil, it is used in cooking and in making soap[57, 74, 117, 141]. It does not solidify at 0°c and stores well without going rancid[74]. The leaves can be used for weaving hats and matting etc[178].

Cultivation details

Prefers a moist sandy loam[95, 117]. Plants are hardy to about -15°c[200]. The chufa, or tiger nut, is often cultivated for its edible tuber in warm temperate and tropical zones, there is a cultivated variety, var. sativus, that produces larger tubers[50]. We have had lots of problems with growing this cultivated form. Once the tubers come into growth then they normally grow vigorously, but the difficulty is getting them to come into growth. We harvest the tubers in the autumn and store them in moist sand, replanting them in the spring. However, they rarely come into new growth until mid to late summer which gives them too short a growing season to produce much of a crop[K]. We need to find a satisfactory way of storing the tubers and exciting them back into growth[K]. In warmer climates this plant is a serious weed of cultivation. It is much hardier than was once imagined and is becoming a weed in N. America where it is found as far north as Alaska[95]. The tubers are often formed a metre or more away from the plant, especially if it is growing in a heavy clay soil[159]. The tubers are extremely attractive to mice and require protection from them in the winter[K].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in the spring and keep the compost moist[164]. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 18°c[164]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. Grow on for their first winter in a greenhouse and plant them out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Division in spring or autumn. This is more a matter of harvesting the tubers and replanting them. If this is done in the autumn, then it is best to store the tubers in a cool frost-free place overwinter and plant them out in the spring.

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Alternative Food Crops, Alternative Root Crops.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press 0 ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[55] Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973
Interesting reading.

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man. 0
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[62] Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982 ISBN 0442222009
Very readable.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.

[95] Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976 ISBN 0-486-23310-3
Useful wild plants of America. A pocket guide.

[117] Rosengarten. jnr. F. The Book of Edible Nuts. Walker & Co. 1984 ISBN 0802707699
A very readable and comprehensive guide. Well illustrated.

[141] Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986 ISBN 0704909820
Some suggested alternative commercial crops for Britain. Readable. Produced by a University study group.

[159] McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977 ISBN 0-253-28925-4
A nice pocket guide to this region of America.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 0
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Cyperus esculentus

S.A.Alagarsamy Sun Aug 7 12:31:03 2005

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Steve Dupey Mon May 8 2006

Chufa nuts are supposed to contain a sprout inhibitor in their skins which is leached away by very wet conditions, this may be why they dont sprout for you until very late. I had no trouble sprouting mine after soaking them in water for a few days and then keeping them in a warm cupboard...damp towels. They would probably spoout if just left in the water. I have planted the sprouting tubers in pots in the greenhouse...and they are coming up nicely. This is supposed to be a cultivated form, from J.L. Hudson Seedsman, which he claims is not invasive. Other sourcess say that in northern latitudes with cold winters, the tubers cannot survive the winter and therefore are non-invasive in these regions. I would advise careful experimentation with this as a crop though.

Cyperus esculentus

David Thu Dec 14 2006

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cyndy Thu Aug 16 2007

this article is really interesting. i want to do a baseline bacteriological survey on tiger nuts. could u help me get more articles on tiger nuts and bacteria? thanks

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