Scientific Name:
Equisetum hyemale
Pronunciation:
eck-wih-SEE-tum hi-e-MA-le
Common Name:
scouring rush, horsetail
Family Name:
Equisetaceae
Plant Type:
Aquatic plant, Semi-evergreen
Key ID Features:
Ornamental plant; evergreen stems straight up without branches, abrasive to touch; leaves reduced to whorls of microphylls at nodes; spores released from brown strobili at stem tips.
Habit:
Spreading
Form:
Columnar
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
< 0.1m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Central / west Asia, Europe, North America
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun only if soil kept moist, Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade, Deep shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Bog
Water Use:
Aquatic
Landscape Uses:
Cut flower or foliage, Waterside planting, Wetland - bogs, Winter interest
Additional Info:
Google. Compare to swamp horsetail.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Whorled
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Nearly Black
Colour in Fall:
Nearly Black
Shapes:
Deltoid
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Truncate
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
"leaves" are microphylls at the jointed nodes
Inflorescence Type:
Spike-like
Flower Morphology:
Colour (petals):
No flowers
Flower Time at Peak:
Fruit Type:
Sporangium (spores)
Fruit Colour:
Yellow, Brown
Fruiting Time:
May, Jun, Jul
Additional Info:
Showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes
Propagation:
Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Medium
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
Course(s):
- not used (on campus)
Location(s):
- (BCE) Boulevard (Circular) Eastend : along paving block path