Horsetail
Vegetative stem of Equisetum telmateia with a whorl (at each node) of branches and dark-tipped leaves
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pteridophyta Class: Equisetopsida Order: Equisetales Family: Equisetaceae Genus: Equisetum
Species
See text Download high resolution version (600x800, 103 KB)Equisetum cf. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... Classes Marattiopsida Osmundopsida Gleicheniopsida Pteridopsida A fern, or pteridophyte, is any one of a group of some twenty thousand species of plants classified in the Division Pteridophyta, formerly known as Filicophyta. ... Species Subgenus Equisetum Equisetum arvense - Field or Common Horsetail Equisetum bogotense - Andean Horsetail Equisetum diffusum - Himalayan Horsetail Equisetum fluviatile - Water Horsetail Equisetum palustre - Marsh Horsetail Equisetum pratense - Shade Horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum - Wood Horsetail Equisetum telmateia - Great Horsetail Subgenus Hippochaete Equisetum giganteum - Giant Horsetail Equisetum myriochaetum - Mexican Giant Horsetail Equisetum hyemale... Species Subgenus Equisetum Equisetum arvense - Field or Common Horsetail Equisetum bogotense - Andean Horsetail Equisetum diffusum - Himalayan Horsetail Equisetum fluviatile - Water Horsetail Equisetum palustre - Marsh Horsetail Equisetum pratense - Shade Horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum - Wood Horsetail Equisetum telmateia - Great Horsetail Subgenus Hippochaete Equisetum giganteum - Giant Horsetail Equisetum myriochaetum - Mexican Giant Horsetail Equisetum hyemale...

Equisetum is a genus of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds. The genus includes 15 species commonly known as horsetails and scouring rushes. These compose the entire class Equisetopsida, the sole member of the division Equisetophyta (Arthrophyta in older works), though some recent molecular analyses place the genus within the ferns (Pteridophyta), related to Marattiales. Other classes and orders of Equisetopsida are known from the fossil record, where they were important members of the world flora during the Carboniferous period. Divisions Non-seed-bearing plants Equisetophyta Lycopodiophyta Psilotophyta Pteridophyta Superdivision Spermatophyta Pinophyta Cycadophyta Ginkgophyta Gnetophyta Magnoliophyta The vascular plants are those plants that have specialized cells for conducting water and sap within their tissues, including the flowering plants, conifers and other gymnosperms, but not mosses, algae, and the like (nonvascular... A class is the rank in the scientific classification of organisms in biology below Phylum and above Order. ... Species Subgenus Equisetum Equisetum arvense - Field or Common Horsetail Equisetum bogotense - Andean Horsetail Equisetum diffusum - Himalayan Horsetail Equisetum fluviatile - Water Horsetail Equisetum palustre - Marsh Horsetail Equisetum pratense - Shade Horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum - Wood Horsetail Equisetum telmateia - Great Horsetail Subgenus Hippochaete Equisetum giganteum - Giant Horsetail Equisetum myriochaetum - Mexican Giant Horsetail Equisetum hyemale... Classes Marattiopsida Osmundopsida Gleicheniopsida Pteridopsida A fern, or pteridophyte, is any one of a group of some twenty thousand species of plants classified in the Division Pteridophyta, formerly known as Filicophyta. ... Orders Marattiales Christenseniales The Marattiopsida are primitive ferns that are largely quite different from many of the plants that are familiar to people in temperate zones. ... For other uses, see Fossil (disambiguation). ... In Botany a Flora (or Floræ) is a collective term for plant life and can also refer to a descriptive catalogue of the plants of any geographical area, geological period, etc. ... The Carboniferous is a major division of the geologic timescale that extends from the end of the Devonian period, about 359. ...

Vegetative stem: N = node, I = internode, B = branch in whorl, L = fused megaphylls

The name horsetail, often used for the entire group, arose because the branched species somewhat resemble a horse's tail, the name Equisetum being from the Latin equus, "horse", and seta, "bristle". Other names include candock (applied to branching species only), and scouring-rush (applied to the unbranched or sparsely branched species). The latter name refers to the plants' rush-like appearance; the stems were used for scouring cooking pots in the past (due to them being coated with abrasive silica). Lighten image (hope this is an improvement). ... Lighten image (hope this is an improvement). ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is the oxide of silicon, chemical formula SiO2. ...

The genus is near-cosmopolitan, being absent only from Australasia and Antarctica. They are perennial plants, either herbaceous, dying back in winter (most temperate species) or evergreen (some tropical species, and the temperate species Equisetum hyemale, E. scirpoides, E. variegatum and E. ramosissimum). They mostly grow 0.2-1.5 m tall, though E. telmateia can exceptionally reach 2.5 m, and the tropical American species E. giganteum 5 m, and E. myriochaetum 8 m. A cosmopolitan distribution is a term applied to a biological category of living things meaning that this category can be found anywhere around the world. ... Australasia Australasia is a term variably used to describe a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. ... Red Valerian, a perennial plant. ... This article is about the plants used in cooking and medicine. ... ‹ The template below (Expand) is being considered for deletion. ...

In these plants the leaves are greatly reduced, in whorls of small, segments fused into nodal sheaths. The stems are green and photosynthetic, also distinctive in being hollow, jointed, and ridged (with (3-) 6-40 ridges). There may or may not be whorls of branches at the nodes; when present, these branches are identical to the main stem except smaller. Look up foliage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up whorl in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The leaf is the primary site of photosynthesis in plants. ...

The spores are borne under sporangiophores in cone-like structures (strobilus, pl. strobili) at the tips of some of the stems. In many species the cone-bearing stems are unbranched, and in some (e.g. E. arvense) they are non-photosynthetic, produced early in spring separately from photosynthetic sterile stems. In some other species (e.g. E. palustre) they are very similar to sterile stems, photosynthetic and with whorls of branches. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Strobilus of E. telmateia, terminal on an unbranched stem

Horsetails are mostly homosporous, though in E. arvense, smaller spores give rise to male prothalli. The spores have four elaters that act as moisture-sensitive springs, assisting spore dispersal after the sporangia have split open longitudinally. Download high resolution version (500x861, 75 KB)Equisetum telmateia (ID by MPF) cone photographed by Eric Guinther in Portland, Oregon (along roadway just upslope of the zoo) on April 25, 2004. ... Download high resolution version (500x861, 75 KB)Equisetum telmateia (ID by MPF) cone photographed by Eric Guinther in Portland, Oregon (along roadway just upslope of the zoo) on April 25, 2004. ... In plants, a characteristic where the plant produces only one kind of spore. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... An elater is a cell (or structure attached to a cell) that is hygroscopic, and therefore will change shape in response to changes in moisture in the environment. ... A sporangium (pl. ...

Many plants in this genus prefer wet sandy soils, though some are aquatic and others adapted to wet clay soils. One horsetail, E. arvense, can be a nuisance weed because it readily regrows after being pulled out. The stalks arise from rhizomes that are deep underground and almost impossible to dig out. It is also unaffected by many herbicides designed to kill seed plants. The foliage of some species is poisonous to grazing animals if eaten in large quantities. Equisetum is cooked and eaten in Japan. For other uses, see Sand (disambiguation). ... Loess field in Germany Surface-water-gley developed in glacial till, Northern Ireland Technically, soil forms the pedosphere: the interface between the lithosphere (rocky part of the planet) and the biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. ... The Gay Head cliffs in Marthas Vineyard are made almost entirely of clay. ... Yellow starthistle, a thistle native to southern Europe and the Middle East that is an invasive weed in parts of North America. ... Ginger rhizome A rhizome is, in botany, a usually underground, horizontal stem of a plant that often sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. ... A herbicide is a pesticide used to kill unwanted plants. ... The spermatophytes comprise those plants that produce seeds. ... The skull and crossbones symbol (Jolly Roger) traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ...

The horsetails were a much larger and more diverse group in the distant past before seed plants became dominant across the Earth. Some species were large trees reaching to 30 m tall. The genus Calamites (family Calamitaceae) is abundant in coal deposits from the Carboniferous period. The spermatophytes comprise those plants that produce seeds. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... Species See text Calamites is a genus of extinct arborescent (tree-like) horsetails to which the modern horsetails (genus Equisetum) are closely related. ... Calamitaceae is an extinct family of plants related to the modern horsetail. ... Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ...

Species

Subgenus Equisetum

• Equisetum arvense - Field or Common Horsetail
• Equisetum bogotense - Andean Horsetail
• Equisetum diffusum - Himalayan Horsetail
• Equisetum fluviatile - Water Horsetail
• Equisetum palustre - Marsh Horsetail
• Equisetum pratense - Shade or Meadow Horsetail
• Equisetum sylvaticum - Wood Horsetail
• Equisetum telmateia - Great Horsetail

Subgenus Hippochaete

• Equisetum giganteum - Giant Horsetail
• Equisetum myriochaetum - Mexican Giant Horsetail
• Equisetum hyemale - Rough Horsetail
• Equisetum laevigatum - Smooth Horsetail
• Equisetum ramosissimum - Branched Horsetail
• Equisetum scirpoides - Dwarf Horsetail
• Equisetum variegatum - Variegated Horsetail

Binomial name Equisetum arvense Linnaeus, 1753 The Field Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is a rather bushy perennial with a rhizomatous stem formation native to America. ... Binomial name Equisetum bogotense Linnaeus The Andean Horsetail (Equisetum bogotense) is a perennial with thicker less bushy whorled branches. ... Binomial name Equisetum diffusum Linnaeus The Himalayan Horsetail (Equisetum diffusum) is a perennial that averages at 10-25 inches. ... Binomial name Equisetum fluviatile L. The Water Horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile), also known as the Swamp Horsetail, is a perennial horsetail that commonly grows in dense colonies along freshwater shorelines or in shallow water, growing in ponds, swamps, ditches, and other sluggish or still waters with mud bottoms. ... Binomial name Linnaeus Equisetum palustre, the Marsh Horsetail, is a plant species belonging to the division of horsetails (Equisetophyta). ... Binomial name Equisetum pratense, commonly known as Meadow Horsetail, Shade Horsetail or Shady Horsetail, is a plant species belonging to the division of horsetails (Equisetophyta). ... Binomial name Equisetum sylvaticum L. The Wood Horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum) is a horsetail (family Equisetaceae) native to the Northern Hemisphere, occurring in North America, Eurasia, and Asia. ... Binomial name Ehrh. ... Equisetum giganteum L. of Equisetaceae family is a fern typically growing 1. ...

Named hybrids

Hybrids between species in subgenus Equisetum

• Equisetum × litorale Kühlew ex Rupr. = Equisetum fluviatile × Equisetum arvense
• Equisetum × dycei C.N.Page = Equisetum fluviatile × Equisetum palustre
• Equisetum × willmotii C.N.Page = Equisetum fluviatile × Equisetum telmateia
• Equisetum × rothmaleri C.N.Page = Equisetum arvense × Equisetum palustre
• Equisetum × robertsii Dines = Equisetum arvense × Equisetum telmateia
• Equisetum × mildeanum Rothm. = Equisetum pratense × Equisetum sylvaticum
• Equisetum × bowmanii C.N.Page = Equisetum sylvaticum × Equisetum telmateia
• Equisetum × font–queri Rothm. = Equisetum palustre × Equisetum telmateia

Hybrids between species in subgenus Hippochaete

• Equisetum × moorei Newman = Equisetum hyemale × Equisetum ramosissimum
• Equisetum × trachydon A.Braun = Equisetum hyemale × Equisetum variegatum
• Equisetum × schaffneri Milde = Equisetum giganteum × Equisetum myriochaetum
• Equisetum × ferrissii Clute = Equisetum hyemale × Equisetum laevigatum
• Equisetum × nelsonii (A.A.Eat.) Schaffn. = Equisetum laevigatum × Equisetum variegatum

The superficially similar flowering plant, Mare's tail (Hippuris vulgaris), unrelated to the genus Equisetum, is occasionally misidentified and misnamed as a horsetail. Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of land plants. ... Species Hippuris montana Hippuris tetraphylla Hippuris vulgaris Hippuridaceae is the Mares tail family. ...

References and external links

• Pryer, K. M., Schuettpelz, E., Wolf, P. G., Schneider, H., Smith, A. R., and Cranfill, R. (2004). Phylogeny and evolution of ferns (monilophytes) with a focus on the early leptosporangiate divergences. American Journal of Botany 91: 1582-1598 (available online; pdf file).
• UK National Collection - includes a taxonomic list of all known species and hybrids
• The Wonderful World of Equisetum
• Giant horsetails
• HDRA Organic Weed Management: Field horsetail - includes Occurrence, Biology, Persistence and Spread, Management and Discussion

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Equisetaceae