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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. | |||||||||
| CRESTED SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex cristatella | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Crested sedge grows up to 100 cm tall from a short rhizome and well-developed fibrous roots. The thin stems are thin and tufted. The leaves are 10 to 40 cm long and 4 to 6 mm wide. The inflorescence is made of six to 15 spikes that are slightly separated or close together. The spikes have male and female flowers. The female flower scales are half as long as and much narrower than the perigynia. The perigynia are pointing upwards, outwards, or downwards and are pale green to brown. The flowers have two stigmas and the achenes are lens-shaped. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Crested sedge grows in springy woods and shrub thickets, and along lakeshores. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in east-central Saskatchewan in the Mid-Boreal Upland and Mid-Boreal Lowland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Crested sedge is threatened by factors such as occurring in heavily populated areas or areas of planned developments. In addition, this species is regionally restricted to the east-central part of the province. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY CRESTED SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Is the plant as tall as 100 cm? * Is the inflorescence made of six to 15 spikes? * Are the female flower scales shorter and narrower than the perigynia? * Did you find it in east-central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found crested sedge! | |||||||||
