Cyperus hamulosus is a sedge of the family Cyperaceae. It is native from Bulgaria east to Mongolia, and from Morocco in north Africa down to Namibia in the south.[1] It has also been introduced to western parts of Australia.
The annual herb-like sedge typically grows to a height of 4to and has a curry-like smell. In Australia it blooms between April and May producing green flowers. It has smooth culms with a triangular cross-section that reach a height of and have a diameter of about . The leaves can be as longs as the culms but are often shorter and have a width of about . The head-like inflorescences can have two to three branches that are up to in length with cylindrical to spherical shaped spikes that have a diameter of about .[2]
It was described by the botanist Friedrich August Marschall von Bieberstein in 1808 as a part of the work Flora Taurico Caucasica. There are eight synonyms including; Cyperus aristatus subsp. hamulosus, Dichostylis hamulosa, Isolepis hamulosa, Mariscus hamulosus and Scirpus hamulosus.[1]
It is found in temperate climatic areas from Eastern Europe to parts of central Asia. It is also found in tropical parts of West Africa.[1] It has become naturalised is Western Australia and is found around the edges of lakes in the Mid West, Gascoyne and Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia where it grows in gravelly sandy-clay soils. It is also found in the Northern Territory.