13.4.18. Chufa Biology and Management

Authors

James R. Kelley Jr., Gaylord Memorial Laboratory, The School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri–Columbia, Puxico, MO
Leigh H. Fredrickson, Gaylord Memorial Laboratory, The School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri–Columbia, Puxico, MO

Date of this Version

January 1991

Comments

Published in Diana H. Cross and Paul Vohs (eds.) Waterfowl Management Handbook. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1991. Online at http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wdb/pub/wmh/contents.html

Abstract

Chufa (Cyperus esculentus) is an emergent perennial sedge that is common in seasonally flooded wetlands. Although chufa is common in many States, it is most abundant in the Southeast, including the Mississippi alluvial valley (Fig. 1). Belowground biomass of chufa, especially the tubers, serves as a valuable food source for waterfowl and cranes. Chufa tubers rank tenth among the most important waterfowl foods in the United States.