Cyperus niveus Retz.

Perennial, 10-30 cm; rhizome short, horizontal, with tillers. Stem c. 1 mm diam., smooth, grey-green, upper part trigonous, lower part almost terete, base swollen. Leaves up to nearly equalling stem, somewhat flexuous; sheaths 20-40 mm, brown or greyish-brown, not shiny, rather soft, mouth wide, slightly concave; ligule 0; blades to c. 20 cm, 1-2 mm wide, channelled or folded, often curved, grey-green, margins scabrous, apex long, acute, trigonous, scabrous. Inflorescence a single globose group of 4-10 sessile or subsessile spikes, 15-35 mm diam., white or yellow-brown; 2-3 bracts foliose, to c. 60 mm, channelled or folded, scabrous. Spikes 10-20 x to c. 5 mm, narrowly ovoid, compressed, with up to 40 glumes, glume-like bract c. 4 mm, acute, glume-like prophyll c. 2.5 mm, blunt; rachis quadrangular, angles rounded, not winged, internodes c. 0.8 mm; glumes c. 3.5 mm, tightly distichous, slightly keeled, white or yellow-brown, mucronate, sides with 4-5 rather inconspicuous veins, margins scarious. Stamens 3, anthers c. 1.5 mm. Nut c. 1.7 mm, obovoid, trigonous, dark brown or almost black, shiny, very weakly papillose.

C. Asia, Himalaya, India, N. Burma, Indo-China, S.W. China.

Distribution: From E Iran to Myanmar; also in E Africa (R.W.Haines & Lye, Sedges and Rushes of E. Africa, 1983).

600-2900 m

Fl. Per.: April - June.

Rock crevices, road sides.

Cyperus niveus is a species of sedge that is native to parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Cyperus niveus adalah spesies tumbuhan yang tergolong ke dalam famili Cyperaceae. Spesies ini juga merupakan bagian dari ordo Poales. Spesies Cyperus niveus sendiri merupakan bagian dari genus Cyperus. Nama ilmiah dari spesies ini pertama kali diterbitkan oleh Retz..

Cyperus niveus là loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Cói. Loài này được Retz. mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1788.

南莎草（学名：Cyperus niveus）为莎草科莎草属的植物。分布于尼泊尔、印度、喜马拉雅山区以及中国大陆的四川、云南等地，生长于海拔220米至2,250米的地区，多生于河岸沙地上，目前尚未由人工引种栽培。