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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. | |||||||||
| HUDSON BAY SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex heleonastes ssp. heleonastes | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Hudson Bay sedge grows as tall as 40 cm from a slender, vertical rhizome. The stems are tufted and stiff. There are four to eight leaves per fertile stem that are barely longer than the stem is tall. The inflorescence is made of two to four close spikes. The spikes have the female flowers above the male flowers. The flower scales are rusty or brown with a yellow-brown centre and a white margin. There are 10 to 20 perigynia per spike. Under the microscope, glands or pits can be seen on the reddish-brown perigynia. Each female flower has two stigma lobes and the achenes are lens-shaped. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Hudson Bay sedge grows in sunny areas in bogs, fens, and marshes. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in central to northern Saskatchewan in the Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Upland, Mid-Boreal Lowland, Churchill River Upland, and Athabasca Plain ecoregions.. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Hudson Bay sedge is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is rare or uncommon. Population sizes vary. No threats are known or anticipated for this species in the near future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY HUDSON BAY SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Is the inflorescence composed of two to four
crowded spikes? * Are the female flowers above the male flowers in the spikes? * Are the scales rusty brown with a yellow centre and white margins? * Did you find it in central to northern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Hudson Bay sedge! | |||||||||
