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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 all perennial rhizomatous 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 parallel venation typical
of the monocots. The inflorescences vary greatly among genera. In general,
flowers are in spikelets which are arranged into spikes, racemes, panicles
and umbel-like clusters. In each spikelet 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 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
main genera, Carex, the ovary is enclosed in a sac-like bract called
the perigynium. The fruits are achenes and are lens-shaped or triangular. The sedges are an ecologically important family in Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan has 149 species belonging to the Cyperaceae. | |||||||||
| QUILL SPIKERUSH | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Eleocharis nitida | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Quill spikerush grows as tall as 15 cm from a thick, hard rhizome. This perennial plant is mat forming. The stem is nearly square and hair-like. The leaves are reduced to bladeless sheaths that are straw-coloured or reddish at the top. The inflorescence is a single, terminal spikelet that is less than 4 mm long. The floral scales are medium to dark brown with a pale or greenish midrib. The flowers have no perianth and the styles are three-branched. The yellowish-orange or brown achenes are three-angled. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Quill spikerush grows on moist shores, pond edges, and in wet depressions and fens. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species grows in northern Saskatchewan in the Boreal Transition, Churchill River Upland, Athabasca Plain, and Tazin Lake Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Quill spikerush is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is rare or uncommon and most local populations are small. No immediate threats are known or anticipated for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY QUILL SPIKERUSH | |||||||||
| * Are the stems nearly square and thread-like? * Is the spikelet terminal and solitary? * Is the spikelet less than 4 mm long? * Did you find it in northern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found quill spikerush! | |||||||||
