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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. | |||||||||
| TWO-COLOURED SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex bicolor | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Two-coloured sedge grows in tufts as tall as 15 cm. The rhizome is slender and may not be well-developed. The stems are hair-like and arching. The leaves are shorter than the stem. There are one to three spikes, but most commonly the spikes are in a pair at the top of the stem. The lateral spikes are short-stalked to nearly stalkless and are female-flowered. Each spike has a bract that varies from a green, leaf-like bract to a brown, clasping scale which may or may not have ear-like lobes. The terminal spike is has male flowers below the female flowers. Less than 1/3 of the flowers are male. The scales on the male flowers are black or brown, with a green midvein and a membranous margin. The female flower scales are also dark brown with a pale midvein. The perigynia is teardrop-shaped and covered in white bumps. The beak is absent on the perigynium. There are two stigmas and the achene is lens-shaped. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Two-coloured sedge grows in muskegs. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species grows in northeastern Saskatchewan in the Selwyn Lake Upland. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Two-coloured sedge is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare. It is highly restricted to one area of the province. No immediate threats are known or anticipated for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY TWO-COLOURED SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the perigynia white and without a beak? * Are the scales dark brown with membranous margins and a light midrib? * Are the spikes in pairs at the top of the stem? * Did you find it in southeastern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found two-coloured sedge! | |||||||||
