Equisetum arvense L.
common horsetail (field horsetail)
Equisetaceae (Horsetail family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
common horsetail (field horsetail)
Equisetaceae (Horsetail family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial from a felty-hairy, tuber-bearing rhizome.
Stems:
10-80 cm tall, 3-5 mm thick, with their central cavity less than 1/2 the stem diameter, regularly branched, the sheaths with 10-16 pointed teeth; branches in regular whorls, triangular in cross-section; the 1st internode of branches longer than the corresponding stem sheaths; fertile stems appearing in spring before sterile stems, about 10-15 cm tall, pale brown, unbranched, dying after the spores are shed, the sheaths 4-6, pale brown with 6-12 darker teeth.
Cones:
1-4 cm long, with solid centres, rounded on the tops.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Green
Blooming Period:
Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Green
Present from Spring to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Equisetum arvense
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)
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 |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1042 | 0 | 2500 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
7 | 0 | 420 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
8 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
6389 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(10), BAFA(49), BG(24), BWBS(546), CDF(14), CWH(449), ESSF(1447), ICH(911), IDF(350), IMA(2), MH(37), MS(546), PP(29), SBPS(138), SBS(1405), SWB(124) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet to mesic sandy or disturbed sites, streambanks, open places and shady forests from the lowland and steppe to alpine zones; common throughout BC; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to SC, GA, AL, MS, TX, NM, AZ, CA and MX; Greenland, Eurasia, N. Africa, New Zealand.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Equisetum arvense var. alpestre Wahlenb.
Equisetum arvense var. boreale (Bong.) Rupr.
Equisetum arvense var. campestre Wahlenb.
Equisetum arvense var. riparium Farw.
Equisetum calderi B. Boivin