Cyperus Papyrus is a large, long-lived reed-like plant with upright, three-sided stems that are 2-4 m tall. It also produces thick, creeping underground stems.
In ancient Egypt, papyrus was used for various purposes such as baskets, sandals, blankets, medicine, incense and boats. The woody root was used to make bowls and utensils, and was burned for fuel. The Ebers Papyrus (an ancient collection of medical texts) refers to the use of soft papyrus tampons by Egyptian women in the 16th century BC. But by far the most significant use of papyrus was for making a thick, paper-like writing material. The central pith of the papyrus stem was cut into thin strips, which were pressed together and dried to form a smooth writing surface. This, along with the River the plant grew in, was the backbone of Egypt’s development as a society, in that everyday communication was no longer by word of mouth only, but also by literary means.
Thanks to the general lack of moisture in most of Egypt’s environment, a significant number of papyri have survived until modern times … the oldest (current) one being “The Diary of Merer”, which dates to 2570 BC.
Though almost now extinct in Egypt, the plant’s rediscovery in 1968 and subsequent propagation means that it has spread from its initial (modern) use as a garden pond plant, and has now invaded the margins of permanent water bodies to worrying proportions once introduced here in Australia, as well as in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. It is rapidly-growing, and can spread to cover areas of open water, preventing the growth of other aquatic species, and reducing light levels to submerged native plants. Currently regarded as a minor environmental weed, or potential environmental weed in parts of Queensland and New South Wales, .. read this far? good on you. extra help 4u .. it is tethered in place, so spotting that should make a difference .. infestations were recently targeted for removal from Seaham Swamp Nature Reserve at Port Stephens on the Mid North Coast of NSW. And in Sydney it is a common weed in the lakes of Cherrybrook Reserve and in the Warriewood Wetlands of Northern Sydney.
Advice:
As you walk this path you may see evidence that South Creek floods when rainfall is particularly heavy. GZ for this cache seems not to suffer to the extent that some spots along here do, but take care if you’re searching in the rain, not just regarding rising water, but also any wildlife that may be trying to escape said rising water!
Sources (online) ... Wikipedia entry .. “Papyrus”; Britannica partial entry .. “Papyrus: Definition, History & Facts”; Brisbane City Council .. “Weed Identification Tool”; Lucidcentral entry .. “Cyperus papyrus”.