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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. | |||||||||
| RIGID SEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Carex tetanica | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Rigid sedge grows to 60 cm tall from a short, slender, whitish rootstock. The stems are triangular. The leaves are between 2 and 5 mm wide. The inflorescence is made of a terminal, male-flowered spike and two or three widely spaced female-flowered spikes. The female flower scales have an awn or are tapered to a long point. Within each female spike, the perigynia are arranged in three vertical rows. The perigynia are deep green and widest above the middle. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Rigid sedge grows in moist soils. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in a wide range in southern Saskatchewan and occurs in the Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, and Boreal Transition ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Rigid sedge is threatened because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. This species occurs in a relatively large range in southern Saskatchewan but most of the local populations are small. No immediate threats are known for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY RIGID SEDGE | |||||||||
| * Is the rootstock whitish? * Are the male and female flowers in separate spikes? * Within each female-flowered spike, are the perigynia arranged in three vertical rows? * Did you find it in southern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found rigid sedge! | |||||||||
