And just how many sedges are there – 25? Are sedges broken down into different genera? Is there one genus that is appreciably bigger? Hmm.
If these questions or similar ones keep you awake at night (and even if you don’t have such questions) come and find out the answers at this month’s ‘Botany Blast‘. This will be held Wednesday, Nov.19, 2025 from 11am to 3 pm in Room 27, Bailey Hall on UNB Fredericton campus. These plant ID sessions are held by the Connell Memorial Herbarium, which is the home to the largest vascular plant herbarium in New Brunswick.
Join us and learn that some sedges can be easily identified. It is easier than trying to learn confusing fall warblers or sandpipers…and they never fly away. There is no charge and you get to play with microscopes. Please contact Robyn Shortt at: plants@unb.ca, if you are interested in attending.
Answers:
Many sedges have triangular stems with sharp edges but some sedges have round stems. There are 171 different sedges contained in 15 different genera withing the sedge family called Cyperaceae.
The largest genus by far is Carex with 132 species. Because it is so big, (the largest genus in our flora), it is broken down into some 40 different sections. On November 19th we are going to talk about one of the sections within Carex called “Phacocystis” which contains many of our common wetland sedges. The word, Phacocystis is derived from the Ancient Greek words: Phako(s) meaning “lens-shaped” and Cystis, meaning “bladder” or “pouch”. This name likely refers to the distinct lens-shaped (biconvex) achenes (fruits) characteristic of species within this section of Carex.
Hope to see you Wednesday. Meanwhile, explore the online Specimen Search database to view the digital images of the Carex collection in the herbarium (up to Carex recta).
PlantID Workshop on Asters at Connell Memorial Herbarium
Room 27, Bailey Hall, UNB, Wednesday, Sept. 17th 2025, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Do you get confused with identifying the Asters of New Brunswick? You are welcome to participate in a special workshop with the amateur botanists at the Connell Memorial Herbarium at UNB biology building in Fredericton.Learn about the New York Aster, New England Aster, Lance-leaved Aster … and more, with a few goldenrods also thrown in.
Every month on the 3rd Wednesday, this group meets for a ‘Botany Blast’ as we continue to learn about the vegetation of our province.
Join us on Sept 17 from 11 am to 3 pm! Learn how to use a dissecting microscope, which are the best books and apps to use…and discover the fascinating uses of our province’s largest herbarium.
Contact Herbarium Manager, Robyn Shortt at: plants@unb.ca so we can make sure we have a place for you. No charge, and everyone is welcome whether beginner or expert.
Recently, there have been some challenging plant specimens offered to the participants in the Botany Blast (plant ID) sessions at the Connell Memorial Herbarium. ‘Friends of the Herbarium’ and the public gather once a month to identify or confirm the identity of specimens received by the herbarium. These sessions offer a lab space with microscopes, dissecting tools and an extensive library of plant keys to practise and improve your plant identification skills.
Amongst those of us still learning the plant keys and the terminology, we would expect to encounter some difficulties and frustration in this task. However, when we see the more experienced botanists among us being stumped as to what the plant is, then we don’t feel quite so bad. I am referring to a batch of sedges in the Carex genus that we had been working on – collected in the month of June in New Brunswick. The plant keys to the Carex genus often rely on small floral characteristics such as the achenes that are enclosed in a sac, called perigynium. Sedges may look very different in the spring versus in the summer or fall when they have gone to seed. So the timing of its collection with respect to its reproductive cycle can influence how easy it is to identify. So the Carex specimens, collected in June, had not developed enough to show some of these important, distinctive features needed for a definitive identification.
A note in the book, “Sedges of Maine: A Field Guide to Cyperaceae” confirms our frustration on that day at our Botany Blast session:
“It is easiest to identify sedges with mature fruits ….Attempting to identify immature material often results in frustration and puzzlement, but with practice and field experience, one can identify some immature species based on a combination of vegetative characteristics and habitat.”1
Even when you know what to look for, and the plant displays all these features, one must focus on very fine details, such as the length and shape of the inflorescences or the arrangement of the scales on the flower spikes. These features can be hard to see without a good hand lens (at least 10x and up to 20x to observe some features).
For those specimens that you cannot identify in the field and if a specimen must be collected for further study, it is advised to take only one plant for every 20 plants in a population. Roots are usually not needed for identification other than to record whether the plant is rhizomatous (stems occurring singly) or tufted (many stems arising from a central clump). However, the roots are an important characteristic for some species in the Carex genus, particularly in the section Limosae. I learned about this distinquishing feature in our last plant ID session.
The Limosae section of Carex contain three species: Carex limosa,Carex magellanica and Carex rariflora. All three are in New Brunswick and herbarium specimens can be found in the Connell Memorial Herbarium. These Carex species have a distinctive yellowish, velvety fuzz on the roots. In the “Flora of New Brunswick” this descriptive feature is mentioned within the Sections key to Carex – “…roots covered with a yellowish felt”.2
Enlargement of root of Carex rariflora, (UNB 64604).3
In conclusion, sedges have more than just edges on their leaves to help you identify this incredibly diverse group of plants. The combination of subtle morphological differences and seasonal changes requires close observation and sometimes even special tools to make accurate identifications. The next time you encounter a sedge, take a moment to appreciate its beauty and complexity—but also recognize that identifying it might require more than a passing glance.
References:
“Sedges of Maine: A Field Guide to Cyperaceae” Matt Arsenault, Glen H. Mittelhauser, Don Cameron, Alison C. Dibble, Arthur Haines, Sally C. Rooney, and Jill E. Weber. The University of Maine Press, Orono, Maine. 2013. Page 17.
“Flora of New Bunswick” Harold R. Hinds, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB. 2000. Page 518.
Carex rariflora (Wahl.) Sm., Canada, Quebec, ARA Taylor (UNB #64604).
Next workshop:Wednesday, February 21st,Room 129, starting at 11:30 am.
Please note the later starting time and different location. Room 129 is on the second floor. Come in front door of Bailey Hall, go up the stairs one level, turn right, and then right again and Room 129 is further along the hall on the left.
The Plant Identification Workshops are held every 3rd Wednesday of the month, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm in the Biology Department, Bailey Hall, UNB Fredericton campus. Drop into the Connell Memorial Herbarium, Room 17, Bailey Hall or contact Robyn (plants@unb.ca) to confirm the location and parking arrangements.
Everyone, novice or expert, is welcome to join us in learning to identify plants, how to use plant keys and to work on the recently acquired collections in the herbarium.
For more information contact: Robyn Shortt, plants@unb.ca.
A great opportunity to learn or practice the art of plant identification. Everyone is welcome.
The Plant Identification Workshops are held every 3rd Wednesday of the month, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm in the Biology Department, Bailey Hall, UNB Fredericton campus. Drop into the Connell Memorial Herbarium, Room 17, Bailey Hall or contact Robyn (plants@unb.ca) to confirm the location and parking arrangements.
Everyone, novice or expert, is welcome to join us in learning to identify plants, how to use plant keys and to work on the recently acquired collections in the herbarium.
For more information contact: Robyn Shortt, plants@unb.ca.
A great opportunity to learn or practice the art of plant identification. Everyone is welcome.
This week’s workshop focussed on identifying ferns, club mosses and horsetails. Gart Bishop made a terrific new slideshow introduction to the group and we put out an array of specimens from the herbarium to make side by side comparisons. Liz Mills and Gart also brought in fresh specimens to examine and compare. We have posted a guide previously (2017 New Brunswick ferns ) as well. In addition, Gart recommends the reference Northeast Ferns: A Field Guide to the Ferns and Fern Relatives of the Northeastern United States Paperback – Aug 26 2013
Connell Memorial Herbarium (UNB IH) 