Book excerpt: The sedge family, Cyperaceae, is the third largest family of monocotyledonous plants. They are of significant economic importance, especially among rural communities in the tropics, where sedges are intensively used. The World Checklist of Cyperaceae provides a single source guide to the correct names of all sedges, the source of their publication and indicating which names are currently accepted and which are synonyms. It will be a standard nomenclatural reference for further research into this important family. This makes it an invaluable reference for agriculturists, horticulturists, ecologists, conservationists and plant biologists.