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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. | |||||||||
| BIGELOW’S SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex bigelowii | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Bigelow’s sedge grows to 25 cm tall from a creeping, reddish-brown rhizome. The rootlets have a whitish or yellowish fuzz covering the surface. The stems may be tufted and are less than 1 mm wide. The crown is covered by reddish, grooved, leafless sheaths. Dead leaves may be persistent on the crown for several years. Live leaves come off low on the stem and are about as tall as the inflorescence. The inflorescence is made of one, terminal male-flowered spike and one to three lateral, female-flowered spikes. The spikes are stalkless or nearly so. At the bottom of the inflorescence is a bristle-like or leaf-like bract that is shorter than the male-flowered spike. The male spike appears reddish brown, due to the colour of the scales. The female flower scales are dark purple or black with a light midrib. The perigynia is yellow green and dotted on the surface. The beak is absent or very short. Bigelow’s sedge has two stigma lobes and lens-shaped achenes. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Bigelow’s sedge grows in gravelly, bouldery, or sandy tundra and open black spruce muskegs. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species grows in northeastern Saskatchewan in the Selwyn Lake Upland. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Bigelow’s sedge is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is rare. It is highly restricted to one area of the province. No immediate threats are known or anticipated for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY BIGELOW’S SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the female flower scales dark purple or black
with a light midrib? * Are the male spikes reddish-brown? * Are the male and female flowers in separate spikes? * Did you find it in northeastern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Bigelow’s sedge! | |||||||||
