flowerbug
Garden Master
Probably. If it's not the exact same thing it is a real close relative. The nutsedge I'm referring to is an extremely invasive weed. It is a sedge, not a grass. It grows from a "nut" that might be close to the soil surface or down more than a foot. The photos I saw for Tiger Nuts looked petty large, most I find are smaller. Some really small.
They grow from a nut that overwinters, down here some might even grow and reproduce during our winters. They also grow from seed, not just the tubers. When the plant gets about 6 leaves, which is pretty quickly, it starts sending out rhizomes which become new plants, each forming it's own nut. They can quickly overwhelm an area. I absolutely do not recommend you start your own patch of Tiger Nuts, I think you will greatly regret it.
I saw nutsedge growing where I put in my raised beds so I removed the top 5 or 6 inches of soil to remove most nuts and seeds. There were other benefits too but the nutsedge is what made me do it without thinking further, in some areas it was a solid mat. It did not get rid of all of them but at least got the numbers down to manageable. When I see a nutsedge growing in there I immediately get rid of it so it doesn't reproduce. If I can, I trace it down to find the nut which can resprout several times. But often I can't dig that deep a hole because of what else is growing in there.
i've had to clear it out of gardens where it has gotten started. it takes a few seasons of dedicated efforts to get it all out. one garden where it is at now i need to renovate anyways, but i keep pulling whatever does grow when i get a chance, not often or consistent enough to eradicate it but at least i'm not letting it go to seed or spread much. it is fighting with thyme so that also helps limit its growth.
there are areas in the grassy lawn that have it, i pull it when i can. the ditch out front is loaded with it. much of what gets spread around comes from the lawn mower.