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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. | |||||||||
| ROCK SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex saxatilis | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Rock sedge grows up to 80 cm tall from a short rhizome. The stems are solitary or in small clumps. The leaves are shorter than the inflorescence. The terminal spike is male-flowered, while the lower spikes are female-flowered. The upper spikes are sessile, but the lower spikes are on thread-like stalks. The male flowers have narrow, dark brown scales with a green midrib. The female flowers have reddish-brown to blackish scales. The perigynia is slightly inflated and is usually green below and dark red above. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Rock sedge grows on marshy, peaty, sandy, or rocky shores. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in northern Saskatchewan in the Churchill River Upland, Tazin Lake Upland, and Selwyn Lake Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Rock sedge is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is rare or uncommon and is limited to the northern regions of the province. No immediate threats are known or anticipated for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY ROCK SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the male and female flowers in separate spikes? * Are the male flower scales narrow and dark brown with a green midrib? * Are the female flower scales reddish-brown to blackish? * Did you find it in northern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found rock sedge! | |||||||||
