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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. | |||||||||
| CRAWE SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex crawei | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Crawe sedge is less than 25 cm tall and grows from a creeping, scaly rhizome. The stems are usually solitary and are essentially all inflorescence. The leaves are mostly basal, with a few on the lower stem. The leaves are 5 to 10 cm long and can be flat to folded. The inflorescence consists of a terminal, male-flowered spike and two to four, female-flowered spikes. The female-flowered spikes have leaf-like bracts at the base that are longer than the inflorescence. The female flower scales are shorter than the perigynia and are pale brown with a green midrib. The perigynium is 2 to 3 mm long and ovoid. The inflated perigynium is yellowish-green to pale brown and has many ribs. The flowers have three stigmas and the achenes are sharply triangular. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Crawe sedge grows in seepy, often calcareous sedge meadows, fens, bogs, and shores. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in southern Saskatchewan in the Mixed Grassland, Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, and Boreal Transition ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Crawe sedge is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. This species is only somewhat regionally restricted but most populations are small and separated by large distances. No immediate threats are known for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY CRAWE SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Is the plant less than 25 cm tall? * Is the male spike above the female spikes? * Is the perigynium yellowish-green? * Did you find it in southern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found crawe sedge! | |||||||||
