PlantFiles: Dwarf Papyrus, Miniature Flatsedge
Cyperus prolifer

I wanted a small water garden in my shady back yard, so I purchased a 20 gallon resin pool. Being an ignorant beginner, I wasted money on water lilies that did poorly in the shade. Then I was enthralled by the beauty of a papyrus at a nursery. It did well... too well. It grew huge, tall, and covered the pool and another water plant. I wintered it in my home in a large fishpot kept filled with water and in front of a sunny window. It did very poorly for some reason and died before spring. Last spring I found the dwarf papyrus and it thrived wonderfully in my backyard over the summer too, but it looked perfect in my small pool and did not smother my other water plants. Unlike the large papyrus, this dwarf version wintered beautifully in my home in the same fishpot and in front of the same window. It looks as healthy as it did last summer. I'm glad to save some money and not have to hunt for a new water plant for my pool every spring.

The flowers of this plant are minute, one needs a magnifying glass. I attach a close up picture showing that the flowers have red in them.

Although this is a nice marginal pond plant, it is on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council's category 2 invasive list. Let's take care that is doesn't spread to the wild!

This plant (now identified!) has grown in a basically unwatered place on the east side of my house for 30 years without ANY attention. The area received almost no direct sun. The soil is very loose, organic natural mulch from huge italian cypress trees.

I thought it was a weed! Transplanted to "better" soil and light, it exploded into beautiful clusters of umbrellas.

This plant does grow quite nicely indoors with adequate sunlight and abundant moisture.

Not hardy *outdoors* in my zone 4, so have only grown it indoors.

Does tend to attract spider mites if allowed to dry out.

I grow a papyrus in a little 24" deep strip of soil on my walled in patio. It does very very well in soil if you basically drowned it with water every 2-3 days. It does get direct sun most of the day there. I live in southern California, zone 10, by the ocean.

I mixed it with red and green leafed Cana, dwarf blue lily of the nile, white flowering ginger, a small plumeria and a little bottle palm. It is really beautiful.

I agree with Happenstance and ArianasGrandma -- this is great in a small to medium pond. I put several in a client's pond over the winter and not particularly deeply in the water; and they're very happy here in zone 9b. To control its growth, you can keep it in it's plastic pot until you are ready for it to expand. The dwarf doesn't get very large so it makes a perfect complement to other waterplants. I love it's whispy, willowy look!

The non-dwarf papyrus often get quite large, overgrown and require more space and maintenance, and is therefore, more suitable for large water features. Both are beautiful in the right setting.

Live in Philly here. Plants do great after Aprile with the natural fertilizer of the turtle pond. I Chop them back by frost and take them in to spread glorius leaves and shoots in the house come January. I find them very hardy. Seems "Turutle fertilizer" is a secret with these guys. Really adore them. Chop them back as soon as the old ones start to whither. Can get two-three pots out of each one per summer.

I have been growing this very successfully in a tera cotta pot. It made it through several very cold nights...35 degrees. I don't keep it particularly moist but water it once every few days with everything else. I am in Zone 9b

Pond grown in 9b, more suited in size for a residential situation than the large form of Papyrus. Deciduous in 9b, but returns in Spring if put into deep water from Nov 'til the water begins to warm in Spring.

A real nice plant to have in a Small to Medium Size Pond.
Works well!
I really enjoy it...