|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
|||||||||
| 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. | |||||||||
| BROWN SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex buxbaumii | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Brown sedge grows as tall as 70 cm from long, creeping, reddish-brown rhizomes. Fibrous roots are also present. The stems are tufted and sharply three-angled. The leaves come off of the lower portion of the stem and are flat or rolled. Dead leaves may be present at the base of the stem. The basal sheaths are reddish, leafless, and disintegrate into filaments. The inflorescence is made of two to four spikes. The terminal spike has female flowers above the male flowers, while the lateral spikes only have female flowers. At the base of the inflorescence, a leaf-like bract, which does not extend past the terminal spike, is present. The spikes appear dark reddish-brown due to the colour of the scales. The scales are graduated within the spike, meaning that they become smaller towards the top. The perigynia is a pale green colour and is faintly to strongly nerved with many small bumps on the surface. The perigynia is usually beakless or nearly so. There are three stigmas and the achene is flat-triangular. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Brown sedge grows in fens, bogs, muskegs, wet shrubland, sloughs and pond margins. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is widespread in Saskatchewan and occurs in the following ecoregions: Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Upland, Mid-Boral Lowland, Churchill River Upland, Athabasca Plain, Tazin Lake Upland, and Selwyn Lake Upland. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Brown sedge is vulnerable in Saskatchewan because it is rare or uncommon. This species is widespread throughout the province but is limited in population numbers. No immediate threats are known or anticipated for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY BROWN SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the scales dark reddish-brown? * Are the male flowers found only at the bottom of the terminal spikes? * Is the perigynia pale green? * Did you find it in a bog, fen, or muskeg in Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found brown sedge! | |||||||||
