Purple Sedge (Saw Sedge)

Scientific Name - Cyperus ligularis L.
Family - Cyperaceae

Tufted, large, coarse perennial, waxy to purple in color, with a hard base and triangular stems. Leaf sheaths also a waxy to purple. Leaf blades waxy, thick, stiff and with sharp, finely toothed margins and mid-vein. Seedhead with five to twelve leaf-like rays and several dense, head-like, usually lobed, oblong spikes. Some spikes on short to long stalks. Reproduces by seed. Found in disturbed areas, pinelands, coastal hammocks and swamps in central and southern peninsula of Florida. Also found in the West Indies, Mexico south into Brazil and in Tropical Africa.