Also Known As: Acorus calamus, Calamus, Sweet Flag, Beewort, Bitter pepper root, Flag root, Gladdon, Myrtle grass, Sweet rush, Sweet Sedge
Acorus calamus, commonly known as Sweet Flag or Calamus, and erroneously as "rush" or "sedges", is a tall perennial wetland monocot of the Acoraceae family, in the genus Acorus. Other names include beewort,bitter pepper root,calamus root,flag root,gladdon, myrtle flag, myrtle grass,myrtle root,myrtle sedge,pine root,sea sedge,sweet cane, sweet case,sweet cinnamon,sweet grass,sweet myrtle,sweet root, sweet rush, and sweet sedge. The scented leaves and more strongly scented rhizomes have traditionally been used medicinally and to make fragrances, and the dried and powdered rhizome has been used as a substitute for ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Probably indigenous to India or Arabia, Acorus calamus is now found across Europe, southern Russia, northern Asia Minor, southern Siberia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Australia, as well as southern Canada and the northern United States, where it may be confused with diploid Acorus americanus.