E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Equisetum fluviatile L.
swamp horsetail (water horsetail)
Equisetaceae (Horsetail family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Equisetum fluviatile
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial from a smooth, shiny, often reddish rhizome.

Stems:
30-150 cm tall, 2-10 mm thick, their central cavity more than 4/5 the stem diameter, simple or with a few whorled branches, the sheaths with 12-30 narrow, dark pointed teeth.

Cones:
1-2 cm long, rounded on the top.

Notes:
A hybrid with E. arvense (E. x litorale Kuehl ex Rupr.) is frequent in places where both species occur.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Habitat / Range

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Equisetum fluviatile

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	0	887	1952
Slope Gradient (%)	0	0	76
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	20	114	360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	2	6	8
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	D
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	581
Modal BEC Zone Class	SBS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	BAFA(1), BG(5), BWBS(42), CDF(1), CWH(26), ESSF(47), ICH(111), IDF(67), MH(2), MS(47), PP(5), SBPS(39), SBS(167)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Climate

Status Information

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-04-15 7:20:27 PM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.