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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. | |||||||||
| THICKHEAD SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex pachystachya | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Thickhead sedge is a tufted plant that grows as tall as 120 cm from short rootstocks. The stem is taller than the leaves and is noticeably grooved. There are three or four leaves per stem. The inflorescences have four to 12 spikes with female flowers above the male flowers. The female flower scales and perigynia are copper-coloured. The perigynium is saw-toothed to the middle may be white wing-margined. The perigynia is reddish-brown to black at tip. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Thickhead sedge grows in moist sedge fens, open and treed bogs, and wet springy areas. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in central to southern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Upland, and Mid-Boreal Lowland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Thickhead sedge is vulnerable in Saskatchewan because it is uncommon. This species occurs in only a few localities in the southern and central parts of the province. No immediate threats for this species are known at the present time. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY THICKHEAD SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the stems tufted? * Are the stems noticeably grooved? * Are the female flowers above the male flowers in the same spike? * Did you find it in central or northern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found thickhead sedge! | |||||||||
