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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE SEDGE FAMILY | |||||||||
| The sedge family is widespread around
the world, but these plants are usually found in damp habitats in subarctic
to temperate regions. The sedge family is very large, with approximately
5,315 species! There is a lot of variability within the family, but in general,
they are perennial herbs. The stems are solid and are frequently three sided.
The leaves are in three vertical rows. The basal sheath of the leaves is
closed. The leaves are linear and have the parallel venation typical of
the monocots. The inflorescences vary greatly among genera. In general,
flowers are in spikes or spikelets which are arranged into spikes, racemes,
panicles and umbrella-like clusters. In each spike there are bracts, usually
at least one per flower. The flowers are reduced, meaning that they do not
have obvious sepals and petals. The sepals and petals, if present, are often
in the form of bristles, scales or hairs. There are three stamens and two
or three carpels. The flowers may have both male and female parts or only
one of the two. In one of the largest genera, Carex, the ovary is enclosed
in a sac-like bract called the perigynium. The fruits are single-seeded,
lens-shaped or triangular structures called achenes. The sedges are an ecologically important family in Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan has 149 species belonging to the Cyperaceae. | |||||||||
| FOXTAIL SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex alopecoidea | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Foxtail sedge grows as tall as 70 cm. The stems are tufted from a short dark brown or black rhizome. The stems are sharply triangular and are soft and spongy. The leaf sheaths are whitish in front and may be red-dotted on the back. The linear leaves are 10 to 30 cm log and 2 to 5 mm wide. There are two or more spikes in spike-like clusters. The lowest spike is up to 1 cm from the other spikes, but in general the spikes are crowded. The inflorescence is 2 to 4 cm long. The bracts of the lowest spikes are sometimes thread-like with an awn. Within the spikes, the male flowers are above the female flowers. The female flower scales reach halfway up the perigynium beak. The perigynium is oval. The beak has two teeth and is saw-toothed on the margin. There are two stigmas and the achenes are lens-shaped. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Foxtail sedge grows in riparian woods, particularly in shady, broad-leaved woodlands, and in sedge meadows. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species grows in southern to central Saskatchewan in the Mixed Grassland, Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, and Mid-Boreal Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Foxtail sedge is vulnerable because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. This species occurs in two or three regions in the province. Some local populations are small. No immediate threats are known at the present time. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY FOXTAIL SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the leaves linear, 2 – 6 mm wide, and
with parallel margins? * Does the perigynium beak have a saw-toothed margin? * Are the leaf sheaths red-dotted on the back? * Did you find it in central or southern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found foxtail sedge! | |||||||||
