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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. | |||||||||
| HOPPNER’S SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex subspathacea | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Hoppner’s sedge is a very small plant that grows at northern latitudes. The stems are not tufted and grow from a rhizome. The leaves are only 1 to 2 mm wide. The male-flowered spike is terminal, with the female spikes below in the inflorescence. The female flower scales are tapered to a point and are light brown to dark purplish-brown. The perigynia is leathery, dull, and without veins. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Hoppner’s sedge grows along saline shores and salt marshes and in open tundra. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| There are no records of this species in the W. P. Fraser Herbarium, though based on its distribution in Canada, it is a northern species. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| No information is available regarding the extirpated status of this species. It likely was reported as once occurring in northern Saskatchewan. There are no records in the W. P. Fraser herbarium, so the occurrence of this species in Saskatchewan cannot be confirmed. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY HOPPNER’S SEDGE | |||||||||
| *Is the plant very small (less than 15 cm tall)? *Are the male and female flowers in separate spikes? *Are the female flower scales tapered to a point? *Did you find it in northern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Hoppner’s sedge! | |||||||||
