Highbush Blueberry NS General Status Rank: Secure Atlantic Sedge & Howe’s Sedge SHRUBS : WOODY PLANTS Range opulation P 61 Vaccinium corymbosum GRASS-LIKE : GRAMINOIDS Carex atlantica 62 POPULATION POPULATION RANGE RANGE
Distribution: NS, NB, QC, ON Flowering: May - August Flowering: May - June
SIZE: 1-4 m tall. SIZE: 10-110 cm tall. LEAVES: Ovate, 3-8 cm long, 1.5-4 cm LEAVES: Very narrow and elongate, wide, with smooth edges (entire) or 3.5-25 cm long, and located along the small, sharp teeth (serrate). They are bottom third of the stem. alternately arranged on the stem with a STEM: Triangular, mostly erect and short leaf stalk (petiole) and are mostly often with rough edges along the upper smooth but sometimes have small hairs section. They often form dense clumps. on the veins or leaf edges. FLOWERS: Arranged in 2-8 STEM: Highly branched. Young twigs irregularly star-shaped spikes (clusters) are smooth, greenish-brown and have at the top of the stem. Each spike is small hairs. Older growth is darker, attached directly to the stem (not rougher and reddish-brown to dark-grey. stalked) and contains a large number of FLOWERS: White or pinkish-white, male and female flowers. The total urn-shaped, 6-10 mm long and with 5 length of the flower cluster petal-like lobes at the tip. They are in (inflorescence) is 0.8 to 4.5 cm. numerous clusters. FRUITS: Small, dry, one-seeded fruits FRUITS: Round, edible, blue or bluish- (achenes) that are enclosed by a black and full of many tiny, dark seeds. specialized sac-like covering called the They have a waxy covering and are 7-12 perigynia. The peryginia is green or mm wide. brown with several veins, broad at the NOTES: The flowers and the leaves base, narrows to a point at the tip, 2- © ALAIN BELLIVEAU open around the same time in the 3.5 mm long and 1-3 mm wide. The tip spring. (beak) is sharply notched. © MEGAN CROWLEY © MEGAN CROWLEY © MEGAN CROWLEY NOTES: Atlantic Sedge (Carex atlantica ssp. atlantica) and Howe's Sedge (Carex atlantica ssp. capillacea) are very similar and both Star-shaped ACPF species. spike Perigynia © ALAIN BELLIVEAU © ALAIN BELLIVEAU © BRITTON AND BROWN (1913) Habitat: Ovate leaves Old and new twig growth © ALAIN BELLIVEAU Bogs, peaty barrens, and acidic, open, forested swamps. Interesting point: There are an estimated 2000 Carex species worldwide and nearly 500 in North America. It represents by far the most diverse plant genus in Canada. The study of is known as caricology. Female Carex flowers Similar species: Sedges represent the largest group of vascular plant species in NS, with over 115 in the province. They are distinguished mostly by their height, Habitat: leaves, and the size and shape of the flower spikes. Inland Sedge (Carex interior), Little Prickly Sedge ( ) and Wiegand's Sedge ( ) Bogs, swamps, wet soils in pastures, rocky barrens Male Carex echinata Carex wiegandii and lake shorelines. flowers are similar, but the broad-based and distinctly veined peryginia (and very thin Ripe black and unripe, green fruits Flowers © SEAN BLANEY leaves in the case of Howe's Sedge) are useful in distinguishing .
Interesting point: These tasty berries are (small at © CHADDE (2011) Carex atlantica sometimes called star berries because of the five the base) Atlantic Sedge Howe’s Sedge parted blossom on one end. Similar species: Velvet-leaf Blueberry Carex atlantica Carex atlantica (Vaccinium myrtilloides) is shorter (less than 75 ssp. atlantica ssp. capillacea cm tall), and covered in small hairs with sparse, NS General Status Rank: Secure NS General Status Rank: Undetermined straight hairs covering the leaf surface. Lowbush Distribution: NS, NB, ON Distribution: NS, QC, ON 25-110 cm tall. It is more robust, has 10-60 cm tall. It is a smaller and more Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) is much Veins shorter (10-60 cm tall) and has elliptical leaves, 1.5- wider leaves (1.5-4.5 mm) and a slender species with narrower leaves 3 cm long, which are sharply toothed (serrated) Perigynia longer flower cluster (1.8-4.5 cm (0.5-1.5 mm wide) and a shorter flower Highbush Blueberry shrub that is taller than Megan © JEROME D’EON along the edge. long) with 3-8 spikes. cluster (0.8-2 cm long) with 2-5 spikes.