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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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| WHITE COTTONGRASS | ||
| LATIN NAME: Eriophorum scheuchzeri | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| White cottongrass grows up to 40 cm tall from creeping rhizomes. The stems are usually solitary and are less than 1 mm wide. The basal sheaths are brown or reddish-brown, and there is usually one bladeless sheath on the stem with a black tip. The leaves are 3 to 12 cm long and have inrolled margins. The inflorescence is a single, terminal spikelet. The spikelet does not have a bract below it, but sometimes the lowest floral scale is enlarged and may resemble a bract. The spikelet is nearly spherical. The floral scales are gray to blackish-green with narrow, pale margins. Each flower has more than ten silky, bright white perianth bristles. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| White cottongrass grows in shore fens and treed bogs. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This species grows in northern Saskatchewan in Churchill River Upland and Athabasca Plain ecoregions. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| White cottongrass is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare and is limited to the northern part of the province. This species is usually numerous within limited localized areas. No immediate threats are known for white cottongrass. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WHITE COTTONGRASS | ||
| * Are the perianth bristles long, white, and silky? * Is the spikelet terminal and solitary? * Are the floral scales gray to blackish-green? * Did you find it in northern Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found white cottongrass! | ||
