Georama Growers King Tut Grass – Georama Plant of the Week
Common Name: King Tut Grass
Botanical Name: Cyperus papyrus
Cyperus papyrus is native to Africa. It is a tall clump forming perennial sedge that will grow up to 15’ tall. It forms a grass-like clump of triangular green stems that rise up from thick woody rhizomes. The most notable feature are stems topped by large umbrella shaped inflorescence (a kind of flower stem) of 100 or arching thread like ‘rays’ that can grow out to almost 1 foot long! At the end of each ‘ray’ there will be a greenish-brown flower cluster. In ancient Egypt, the stems of this plant (considered to be the bulrush of the Bible) were used to make a paper-like writing material also called papyrus. King Tut is a dwarf cultivar that typically grow to 4’ tall and has been a very popular water plant or even as a centre piece in large patio containers. It is not winter hardy in the Kootenays and should be considered and treated as an annual. King Tut Grass is best grown in part shade with a good organic soil – it will make a bold statement wherever you have a suitable spot in your landscape or patio.
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