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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. | |||||||||
| GRANULAR SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex granularis var. haleana | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Granular sedge grows as tall as 40 cm from thin fibrous roots. The stems are tufted and less than 1 mm wide. The basal leaves are only about half as long as the stem is tall, but can be up to 1 cm wide. The stem leaves are similar, but narrower. All the leaves are bluish green and hairless. The inflorescence is made of one terminal, male-flowered spike which is overtopped and somewhat hidden by the female-flowered spikes. There are three or four female-flowered spikes on stalks up to 5 cm long. The stalks get shorter higher up the stem. The female spikes are 20 to 40-flowered. The flowers are in six to eight vertical rows. The female flower scales are only about half as long and the perigynia and have red spots that can be seen under the microscope. The perigynia are olive to yellowish and may turn brown in age. The female flowers have three stigmas. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Granular sedge grows in clay soil in wet meadows and on shorelines. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in southeastern Saskatchewan in the Aspen Parkland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Granular sedge is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is rare. It is only somewhat regionally restricted to the northern regions of the province but exists in areas of planned developments. Population sizes vary. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY GRANULAR SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the leaves up to 1 cm wide? * Are the male and female flowers in separate spikes? * Are the female flowers in six to eight vertical rows in each spike? * Did you find it in southeastern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found granular sedge! | |||||||||
