|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
|||||||||
| 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. |
|||||||||
| TAPERTIP FLATSEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Cyperus acuminatus | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Tapertip flatsedge is a small sedge, growing only as tall as 30 cm. This annual plant has fibrous roots. The stems are tufted and three-angled with rounded edges. There are two to six leaves per stem that are nearly equal to or slightly longer than the stem. The inflorescence is made of many spherical heads. The longest bract is longer than the inflorescence. There are 25 to 50 compressed spikelets in the inflorescence. The floral scales are outwardly curved at the tip and are 3-nerved. The floral scales are yellowish-green to light reddish-brown with a light brown or greenish centre. There are ten to 24 flowers per spikelet, each of which has male and female parts. The achenes are three-angled and brown. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Tapertip flatsedge grows on shores, in wet low areas, and in damp disturbed soils. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species grows in southern Saskatchewan in the Moist Mixed Grassland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Tapertip flatsedge is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare and is found in only one location. This species has not been reported anywhere else in Canada and the Saskatchewan population probably represents a northern range extension. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY TAPERTIP FLATSEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the spikelets in rounded heads? * Are there two to six leaves per stem? * Are the plants less than 30 cm tall? * Did you find it in southern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found tapertip flatsedge! | |||||||||
