Equisetum sylvaticum L.
wood horsetail (woodland horsetail)
Equisetaceae (Horsetail family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
wood horsetail (woodland horsetail)
Equisetaceae (Horsetail family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial from a smooth rhizome.
Stems:
10-60 cm tall, 1-4 mm thick, their central cavity 1/2 the stem diameter, regularly and richly branched, the sheaths with 8-18 teeth which remain fused and form 3-4 groups; branches with 3-4 ridges, branched again, the 1st internodes of the main branches longer than the corresponding sheaths.Cone1-3 mm long, rounded at the tip.
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 sylvaticum
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) |
927 | 0 | 2205 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
6 | 0 | 75 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
10 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 2 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
1944 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
SBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(396), CWH(4), ESSF(235), ICH(325), IDF(12), MS(49), SBPS(25), SBS(766), SWB(22) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to wet forests, meadows, clearings, swamps and bog margins in the montane zone; frequent in BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to MA, PA, WV, OH, MI, WI, SD, WY, MT and WA; Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Equisetum sylvaticum var. multiramosum (Fernald) Wherry
Equisetum sylvaticum var. pauciramosum Milde
Equisetum sylvaticum var. sylvaticum