Classification

Higher Taxonomy

Order - Poales

The Cyperaceae is currently placed in the order Poales.  This order, as defined in APG III (Stephens, 2001 onwards), contains 16 families, however, phylogenetic evidence is not consistent.  Therefore, further clarification of both the delineation of some families and the boundary of the order itself is needed.  This order contains five notable families Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Juncaceae, Typhaceae and Bromeliaceae.

Family - Cyperaceae

APG III recognises two sub-families, Mapanoideae and Cyperoideae, as sister groups in Cyperaceae.  Recent molecular phylogenetics strongly supports these clades (Muasya et al.., 2009), however, earlier morphological studies differ in the number and delineation of sub-families (Bruhl, 1995, Ghoetghebeur, 1998).

Genus - Cyperus

Within the Cyperaceae, beneath sub-family level, there is no widely accepted classification, rather, there have been a number of attempts historically to subdivide it, which are complex, conflicting and sometimes erroneous.  Kükenthal (1935) placed C. papyrus in subgenus Eucyperus, defined by previous authors on morphology including C4 chemistry, one of six he recognised in Cyperus.  He also defined numerous sections, on inflorescence structure and characters of the rhizome, C. papyrus he placed in the type section Cyperus, Larridon et al., 2011.   The currently accepted view is of C. papyrus in a tribe Cypereae considered to comprise two clades well supported by morphology, including embryology, and molecular studies, Ficinia with 155 species, and Cyperus with about 696 Huygh et al. 2010.

The genus Cyperus is considered paraphyletic, containing 13 segregate genera, which have previously been assigned, in various combinations, tribal rank, and are, therefore, partly the cause of much of the confused nomenclature and taxonomy leading to the publication of more than 350 infrageneric sub‑divisional names, Reynders et al.. 2011, without sufficient molecular evidence to arrive at a resolution.