Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia

Equisetum arvense

Equisetum arvense L.

Field Horsetail

Equisetaceae (Horsetail Family)

Synonym(s): Equisetum arvense var. alpestre, Equisetum arvense var. boreale, Equisetum arvense var. campestre, Equisetum arvense var. riparium, Equisetum calderi

USDA Symbol: eqAR

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N?), CAN (N), GL (N), SPM (N)

Common through most parts of the country.

From the Image Gallery

11 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Arrangement: Whorled
Fruit Type: Cone
Size Notes: Up to about 3 feet tall.
Leaf: Green

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Not Applicable
Bloom Notes: Not a flowering plant. Reproduces by spores contained within sporangia borne on peltate sporophylls. Sporulates Mar - May

Distribution

USA: AK , AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DC , DE , GA , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NV , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WY
Canada: AB , BC , MB , NB , NL , NS , NT , ON , PE , QC , SK , YT
Native Habitat: Forest Edge,Wet Meadow/Prairie/Field,Riparian,Swamp/Marsh

Growing Conditions

Water Use: High
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Wet
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium

Benefit

Use Other: Rhizomes used in basketry by Native Americans.
Interesting Foliage: yes

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Native shade plants around fountain in California
March 18, 2009
Hi, we just put a fountain in our front yard. It is in a mostly shady area. I need to know what plants would go best around the fountain and survive in the shade.
view the full question and answer

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FAC	FAC	FAC		FAC	FAC		FAC	FAC	FAC

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

Bibliography

Bibref 1218 - Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources (2006) Anderson, M. Kat

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Equisetum arvense in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Equisetum arvense in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Equisetum arvense

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-03-30
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back