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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. | |||||||||
| CAPITATE SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex capitata ssp. capitata | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Capitate sedge grows 20 to 60 cm tall from ascending rootstocks. The stems are tufted and the bases are congested with dead, leafless sheaths from the previous year. The leaves are thread-like and come off low on the stem. The spike is solitary at the top of the stem. The male flowers are above the female flowers in the inflorescence. The female flowers have triangular scales that are shorter and narrower than the perigynia body. The perigynia is straw-coloured. The flower has two stigmas and the achene is lens-shaped. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Capitate sedge grows in open tundra and in willow marshes. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in northern Saskatchewan in the Mid-Boreal Lowland, Mid-Boreal Upland, Boreal Transition, and Selwyn Lake Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| There is no information available regarding the rarity status of this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY CAPITATE SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the male flowers above the female flowers
in the spike? * Is the spike solitary and at the end of the stem? * Are the leaves thread-like? * Did you find it in northern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found capitate sedge! | |||||||||
