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

© Bryan Kelly-McArthur  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #88147)

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Distribution of Equisetum fluviatile
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Species Information

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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

Flower Colour:
Green
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer
Source:  The USDA

Habitat / Range

Shallow water at lake margins, marshes, bogs and wet ditches in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; frequent throughout BC; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to VA, IN, IA, NE, WY, ID and OR; Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

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

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)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Equisetum fluviatile var. limosum (L.) Gilbert
Equisetum limosum L.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Equisetaceae
 Flora North America treatment for Equisetum fluviatile
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
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: 2024-05-16 9:16:10 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.
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