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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. | |||||||||
| CURVED SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex maritima | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Curved sedge only grows as tall as 10 cm. The stems and leaves tend to curve downwards. The rhizomes are slender but tough, with conspicuous scales. This species also has above-ground runners. The leaves are usually longer than the stems. The inflorescence is made of three to five spikes with the male flowers above the female flowers. The male flowers are small and hard to find. The female flowers have round, brown scales. The perigynia are around 5 mm long. The beak is short and two-coloured. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Curved sedge grows in gravel flats or sand dunes. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in northwestern Saskatchewan in the Athabasca Plain ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Curved sedge is threatened because it only occurs in one region of the province. Local population sizes vary. No immediate threats are known, but are possible in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY CURVED SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are above-ground runners present? * Are the leaves longer than the stems? * Are the male flowers above the female flowers in the same spike? * Did you find it in a sandy or gravelly area in northern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found curved sedge! | |||||||||
