The Collaborative International Dictionary
nutgrass \nut"grass`\, nut grass \nut" grass`\, n.(Bot.), A widely distributed perennial plant of the Sedge family ( Cyperus rotundus, var. Hydra), which has slender rootstocks bearing small, edible, nutlike tubers, by which the plant multiplies exceedingly, especially in cotton fields.
Syn: nutsedge, nut sedge, Cyperus rotundus.
nutsedge \nutsedge\, nut sedge \nut sedge\n. a widely distributed perennial sedge ( Cyperus rotundus) having small edible nutlike tubers; also called nut grass.
Syn: nutgrass, nut grass, Cyperus rotundus.
Wikipedia
Cyperus rotundus (coco-grass, Java grass, nut grass, purple nut sedge or purple nutsedge, red nut sedge, Khmer kravanh chruk) is a species of sedge (Cyperaceae) native to Africa, southern and central Europe (north to France and Austria), and southern Asia. The word cyperus derives from the Greek , kyperos, and rotundus is from Latin, meaning "round". The earliest attested form of the word cyperus is the Mycenaean Greek , ku-pa-ro, written in Linear B syllabic script.
Cyperus rotundus is a perennial plant, that may reach a height of up to 140 cm (55 inches). The names "nut grass" and "nut sedge" – shared with the related species Cyperus esculentus – are derived from its tubers, that somewhat resemble nuts, although botanically they have nothing to do with nuts.
As in other Cyperaceae, the leaves sprout in ranks of three from the base of the plant, around 5–20 cm long. The flower stems have a triangular cross-section. The flower is bisexual and has three stamina and a three-stigma carpel, with the flower head having 3–8 unequal rays. The fruit is a three-angled achene.
The root system of a young plant initially forms white, fleshy rhizomes, up to 25 mm in dimension, in chains. Some rhizomes grow upward in the soil, then form a bulb-like structure from which new shoots and roots grow, and from the new roots, new rhizomes grow. Other rhizomes grow horizontally or downward, and form dark reddish-brown tubers or chains of tubers.
It prefers dry conditions, but will tolerate moist soils, and often grows in wastelands and in crop fields.
Usage examples of "cyperus rotundus".
For many hours I sat on the low ground at the southern end of the young almond trees, in what was in effect a ragged lawn of purple nut sedge, Cyperus rotundus.