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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. | |||||||||
| PORCUPINE SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex hystericina | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Porcupine sedge grows as tall as 100 cm from a short, stout rootstock. The three-angled stems are densely tufted. The leaves have white, membranous sheaths. The spikes are unisexual. The terminal spike is male-flowered, while the lower spikes are female-flowered. The spikes are on long stalks and are drooping. The bracts are leaf-like, with the lowest bract longer than the inflorescence. The scales in both the male and female spikes have rough awns. In each of the female spikes, there are 100 to 200, green to straw-coloured perigynia. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Porcupine sedge prefers wet, shady places. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in central Saskatchewan in the Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, and Mid-Boreal Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Porcupine sedge is vulnerable because it is uncommon in Saskatchewan. Most local populations are small and some are in areas of planned developments. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY PORCUPINE SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Do the scales have rough awns? * Do the female spikes have 100 to 200 perigynia? * Are the female and male flowers in separate spikes? * Did you find it in central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found porcupine sedge! | |||||||||
