Common name: Horsetail
Family: Equisetaceae, Equisetum
Height x width: 3-5' x 1-2'
Growth rate: moderate
Foliage: small, scale-like and united into sheaths around each node; evergreen stems are hollow, obviously jointed and with many ridges resembling small green bamboo canes
Flowers: a non-showy and often inconspicuous sporophyll at the tips of stems
Hardiness: zones 2-4 to 9
Soil: moist to wet
Light: sun or part shade
Pests and Problems: none serious
Landscape habit, uses: edges of wet areas, ponds, water containers; accent plant for upright growth
Other interest:native to northern temperate regions; from the Latin equus meaning horse and seta meaning bristle, refering to the barren stems supposedly resembling a horse's tail; was used in the past as for cleaning or "scouring" hence a common name; children have also kept amused popping the stem joints
Other culture: aggressively spreads by stolons, so unless this is desired keep contained in a sunken pot
Propagation: division
Species and Cultivars:
Of the several available in the U.S., the following are the more common.
hyemale--Scouring Rush, Rough Horsetail; zones 4-9
hyemale var. robustum-- as above only to 9'
scirpoides--Dwarf Horsetail; zones 2-9, only 4-8"
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