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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. | |||||||||
| BEAR SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex arcta | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Bear sedge grows as tall as 60 cm. The stems are densely tufted from a very short rhizome. The triangular stems are only 0.8 to 1 mm wide and flatten easily. Some dead leaves from the previous year’s growth are present at the base of the stem. The leaves originate near the bottom of the stem, but are often longer than the stem is tall. The inflorescence is made of 5 to many spikes. Each spike has a bract, but only the bottom two spikes have bracts that are noticeable. These bracts are thread-like, with an awn 1 to 4 cm long. The spikes have female flowers above the male flowers. The scales on the female flowers are oval and reach halfway up the perigynium beak. The female flower scales are membranous with a green midrib. The perigynium is pale green with yellowish ribs. The beak is short, with a saw-toothed margin. There are two stigmas and the achenes are lens-shaped. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Bear sedge grows in woods and muskegs. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species grows in central Saskatchewan from Hirtz Lake to the Porcupine Hills in the Mid-Boreal Upland, Mid-Boreal Lowland, and Churchill River Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Bear sedge is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is rare and somewhat regionally restricted. Most local populations are small. Although no immediate threats for this species are known, habitat loss may threaten this species in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY BEAR SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the leaves linear and with parallel margins? * Does the perigynium beak have a saw-toothed margin? * Do the spikes have several flowers? * Did you find it in central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found bear sedge! | |||||||||
