Carex vesicaria
Encyclopedia
Carex vesicaria is an essentially Holarctic
species of sedge
known by the common name Blister Sedge. The dried fibers, sometimes used as thermal insulation
in polar
regions, are known as sennegrass, saennegrass or similar, from the plant's Bokmål
name Sennegras.
. It is also known from parts of Eurasia, including almost all of northern Europe
. It grows in wet habitat, including many types of wetland
, and areas that are soaked or submerged during the spring and dry over the summer.
is a loose cluster of flower spikes, many on peduncles
. The long cylindrical inflorescence contains up to 150 developing fruits.
There are several varieties of this sedge, with a high diversity in northeastern Canada.
Holarctic
The Holarctic ecozone refers to the habitats found throughout the northern continents of the world as a whole. This region is divided into the Palearctic, consisting of Northern Africa and all of Eurasia, with the exception of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and the Nearctic,...
species of sedge
Carex
Carex is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges. Other members of the Cyperaceae family are also called sedges, however those of genus Carex may be called "true" sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of Carex is known as...
known by the common name Blister Sedge. The dried fibers, sometimes used as thermal insulation
Thermal insulation
Thermal insulation is the reduction of the effects of the various processes of heat transfer between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. Heat transfer is the transfer of thermal energy between objects of differing temperature...
in polar
Polar
- Science, technology, and mathematics :*Polar , a satellite launched by NASA in 1996*Polar , a strongly magnetic cataclysmic variable star system...
regions, are known as sennegrass, saennegrass or similar, from the plant's Bokmål
Bokmål
Bokmål is one of two official Norwegian written standard languages, the other being Nynorsk. Bokmål is used by 85–90% of the population in Norway, and is the standard most commonly taught to foreign students of the Norwegian language....
name Sennegras.
Distribution
This sedge is native to northern North America including most of Canada and the northern United States, down into CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is also known from parts of Eurasia, including almost all of northern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. It grows in wet habitat, including many types of wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
, and areas that are soaked or submerged during the spring and dry over the summer.
Description
Carex vesicaria produces clumps of triangular stems up to about a meter in maximum height. The inflorescenceInflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a loose cluster of flower spikes, many on peduncles
Peduncle (botany)
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
. The long cylindrical inflorescence contains up to 150 developing fruits.
There are several varieties of this sedge, with a high diversity in northeastern Canada.