Scientific Name:
Equisetum arvense
Pronunciation:
eck-wih-SEE-tum are-VEN-see
Common Name:
common horsetail
Family Name:
Equisetaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial, Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Aggressive perennial weed with rhizomes and tubers; stems 10-75cm x 3-5mm wide, hollow with horizontal separations; branches whorled at nodes, needle-like but jointed, abrasive to touch (great for cleaning camping pots!); sheath crown at nodes with 10-16 teeth (the microphylls); spores released from strobilus on fertile shoot tip which emerge before the vegetative shoots.
Habit:
Spreading
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
0.2 - 0.4m
Mature Spread:
4 - 5m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe, North America
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 2: (-46 to -40 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Filtered shade, Deep shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Erosion control, Reclamation
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Whorled
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Linear
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Truncate
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Actually, these are branches; the "leaves" are microphylls at the jointed nodes
Inflorescence Type:
Spike-like
Flower Morphology:
Colour (petals):
No flowers
Flower Time at Peak:
Additional Info:
Strobilus
Fruit Type:
Sporangium (spores)
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes, Tubers
Propagation:
Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
High
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
- Level 2 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLW) Turf Field Lab West
- (WDY) WeeDY location
- (WLG) WoodLand Garden