The Sedges of Florida with Scott Ward

Sedges (Cyperaceae) have gained a notorious reputation among naturalists and ecologists as one of the more difficult groups of plants to identify. Their non-showy appearance compared to other flowering plants makes their identification sometimes challenging, but once key botanical features are recognized, their identification is often made much easier. By using a suite of resources, ecologists can often enhance their sedge identification skills, thereby enriching their own work and appreciation for the botanical world. From dry prairie to swamp forests, sedges are a key component of numerous ecosystems throughout Florida, often comprising a significant level of the diversity within fire-prone and wetland plant communities. Their ecological importance in Florida cannot be understated and thus their identification is crucial to any ecological work or casual botany performed in the state. Scott Ward is a Plant Ecologist at Archbold Biological Station where he closely monitors demographic trends of endemic plant species of the Florida Scrub. His primary interests include plant community ecology, field botany, plant taxonomy and identification, forest and wetland ecology, and rare-species conservation. He is also a firm supporter of natural history education via field-study immersion and believe that optimal ecological research requires deep field-based knowledge of natural communities. Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:28 Sedge basics 02:54 Introduction: Cyperaceae 04:38 Cyperaceae: common terms 06:43 Sedge genera in Florida 08:06 Carex 10:30 Carex: sections 11:52 Rhynchospora 12:51 Rhynchospora: diversity patterns 13:37 Rhnychospora: morphological diversity 14:11 Rhynchospora: morphology 14:49 Rhynchospora: common terms 15:27 Rhynchospora: achenes 17:35 Rhynchospora: ID tips and keying example 28:08 Summary 29:03 Resources 29:48 Acknowledgements & Sources 30:25 Q&A