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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. | |||||||||
| TUFTED SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex petasata | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Tufted sedge grows as tall as 70 cm. The rootstocks are short and have delicate fibres. The stems are tufted and nearly smooth. Leaves of the previous year are present at the base of the stem. There are three to four leaves per stem. The inflorescence is made of three to six overlapping spikes. The spike bracts are scale-like and very similar to the dark brown female flower scales. The female flowers are above the male flowers in the same spike. The perigynia are also dark brown and are covered by the female flower scales. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Tufted sedge grows on dry grassland slopes and in open aspen woods. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in southwestern to central Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland, Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Mid-Boreal Upland, and Mid-Boreal Lowland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Tufted sedge is vulnerable in Saskatchewan because it is uncommon. Local population sizes vary. Possible threats to this species include habitat loss. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY TUFTED SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the inflorescences made of thee to six overlapping
spikes? * Do the spikes have the female flowers above the male flowers? * Do the roots have delicate fibres? * Did you find it in central to southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found tufted sedge! | |||||||||
