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

Equisetum laevigatum A. Braun
smooth scouring-rush (smooth horsetail)
Equisetaceae (Horsetail family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Jamie Fenneman  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #3811)

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Distribution of Equisetum laevigatum
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial from a rhizome.
Stems:
20-120 cm tall, 3-8 mm thick, light green, their central cavity 2/3-3/4 the stem diameter, unbranched, the sheaths with 12-30 teeth that fall off leaving only small depressions at the sheath tips.
Cones:
8-15 mm long, with a blunt or rounded tip.
Notes:
A hybrid with E. hyemale (E. x ferrissii Clute) occurs infrequently in SC BC.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Green
Blooming Period:
Early Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Spring to Summer
Source:  The USDA

Habitat / Range

Dry to moist sandy soil, wet margins of lakes, streambanks, roadsides in the steppe and montane zones; frequent in SC and SE BC; E to ON and S to OH, IL, OK, TX, NM, AZ and CA; Mexico.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Equisetum laevigatum

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) 451 1073 2130
Slope Gradient (%) 0 8 40
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		158 232 320
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		3 4 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 D
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 11
Modal BEC Zone Class
 IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: AT(1), ESSF(1), ICH(1), IDF(3), PP(2)

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 cool temperate & cool mesothermal.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Equisetum funstonii A.A. Eat.
Equisetum kansanum Schaffn.
Equisetum laevigatum subsp. funstonii (A.A. Eat.) Hartman
Hippochaete laevigata (A. Braun) Farw.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Equisetaceae
 Flora North America treatment for Equisetum laevigatum
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 10:45:46 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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