Cyperus malaccensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Cyperus
Species:
C. malaccensis
Binomial name
Cyperus malaccensis
Lam. 1791[1]
Subspecies
  • Cyperus malaccensis subsp. malaccensis
Synonyms
  • Cyperus tegetiformis
    For subsp. malaccensis

Cyperus malaccensis or short-leaved Malacca galingale is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family. It is native to South Asia and Oceania.[2]

Uses

Collecting stems for tying purposes. Muaragembong, Bekasi, West Java

It is used in packaging goods in South China, mainly before the 1980s. At that time people packaged goods by wrapping them in sedge. It was common to use a long loop to tie up the package, to aid carrying with the index finger. It was mostly replaced by plastic bags but is still used to package zongzi and Chinese mitten crab. However, liquid in the food may drip out when walking, which led to the use of the plastic bags. There are few people left growing and selling it.[3][4]

For packaging dry goods, Cyperus malaccensis can provide a cheap, biodegradable and readily available alternative to plastic bags. In 2007 a Hong Kong student group interested in environmentalism called Greeners Action began a campaign wherein they hoped that more than 130 shops in 6 Hong Kong markets would use the sedge instead of plastic bags.[5]

It is planted in the land between the sea water and fresh water, mainly in Vietnam, and processed in Dongguan.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". wcsp.science.kew.org. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  2. ↑ "Cyperus malaccensis Lam. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  3. ↑ 鹹水草哼夕陽之歌膠袋取代供應商全港剩一家 Archived October 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ 政府建議開徵膠袋稅，令免費膠袋的時代或將畫上句號，取而代之會是「咸魚翻生」的街市鹹水草
  5. ↑ 街市鹹水草綁菜倡環保
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