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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. |
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| AWNED FLATSEDGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Cyperus squarrosus | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Awned flatsedge grows to 40 cm tall from a rhizome. This species has a distinctive, hard thickening on the root. The stem is three-angled and is smooth, except for a few prickles near the top. The leaves are long and grass-like. The inflorescence is made of one to four spikes. There are 12 to 50 compressed spikelets per spike. The floral scales are straw-coloured to pale brown with a green midrib. The flowers have both male and female parts. The achenes are three-angled and purplish-brown in colour. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Awned flatsedge grows in moist to drying mud flats, sloughs, and potholes. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species grows in southern and central Saskatchewan in the Mixed Grassland, Moist Mixed Grassland, and Mid-Boreal Lowland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Awned flatsedge is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is rare. This species occurs in a relatively large range in the province, but local population sizes vary. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY AWNED FLATSEDGE | |||||||||
| * Are the spikelets in spikes? * Are there hardened thickenings on the roots? * Are the floral scales straw-coloured or pale brown? * Did you find it in southern or central Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found awned flatsedge! | |||||||||
