Plant Database

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Whorled
Fruit Type: Cone
Size Notes: Up to about 6 feet tall.

Bloom Information

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

Distribution

USA: AK , AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , 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 , ON , PE , QC , SK
Native Habitat: In open or wooded areas along streams, on alluvial flats, and on wet ledges; throughout Texas, most common in Blackland Prairies and on the Edwards Plateau. Sand, loam, clay, or limestone; poor drainage okay or in shallow water.

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Wet
Soil Description: Occurs in wet places, including pond margins, swamps, floodplains and ditches.
Conditions Comments: Horsetail's smooth, segmented, upright foliage appears striking in a container, pond or landscape setting. It is one of the best dragonfly perches. The plant does not have true fruit, it has interesting cones instead. It is best to contain it in a pot with no holes and be watchful that it doesn't creep over the edge. It is very aggressive.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Bog or pond area, Water garden, Erosion control. Often grown in Japanese-style gardens, at the edge of ponds and in the margins of ornamental water gardens.
Use Medicinal: Used as a homeopathic remedy
Use Other: A dense stand of scouring rush along the margin of an ornamental pool can be very attractive and will exclude weeds.
Interesting Foliage: yes
Deer Resistant: High

Propagation

Propagation Material: Root Division
Commercially Avail: 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

Native plants to stop pond bank erosion
June 04, 2008
I recently purchased a home with a small pond in which a nearby stream daylights. The former owner placed large field stone around the pond and the small stream; however, the area around the pond and...
view the full question and answer

Native plants for container gardens in Central Texas
March 11, 2008
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: I moved to TX last year, for now living in an apartment with a good-size but shady deck; my garden in VA was full of VA native plants. What TX natives, if any, can I grow in ...
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National Wetland Indicator Status

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

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.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden - Santa Barbara, CA
Texas Discovery Gardens - Dallas, TX
Delaware Nature Society - Hockessin, DE
Nueces River Authority - Uvalde, TX
NPSOT - Austin Chapter - Austin, TX

Bibliography

Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski

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.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

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