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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. | |||||||||
| RAYNOLD’S SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex raynoldsii | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Raynold’s sedge grows to about 60 cm tall from a stout rootstock. The base of the triangular stem is covered in fibres and dead leaves. There are five to ten leaves per fertile stem. The inflorescence consists of a terminal, male-flowered spike and three or four stalked female-flowered spikes. The spike bracts can be green and leaf-like or reduced to awns, but the lowest bract does not exceed the male-flowered spike. The male spikes are reddish-brown. The female flower scales are purplish-black with a green midrib. The scales are as long as the perigynia but narrower, so the perigynia can be seen. The perigynia are inflated, round, and green until maturity. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Raynold’s sedge grows in open wooded or grassy ravine slopes. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Raynold’s sedge is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is restricted to the Cypress Hills and because most local populations are small. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY RAYNOLD’S SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the female flower scales purplish-black and
narrower than the perigynia? * Are the male and female flowers in separate spikes? * Is the base of the stem covered in fibres and dead leaves? * Did you find it in the Cypress Hills? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Raynold’s sedge! | |||||||||
