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Equisetum arvense
COMMON HORSETAIL

Higher Taxonomy
Family: EquisetaceaeView Description 

Common Name: HORSETAIL FAMILY
Habit: Perennial herb from rhizome. Stem: annual to perennial herb, generally erect, of 2 kinds (sterile, fertile) or not; internodes with lengthwise alternating ridges and grooves, hollow except at nodes, branches 0 or whorled, alternate leaves. Leaf: scale-like, whorled, fused into nodal sheath with as many teeth as leaves, generally not green. Sporangia: several on inner surface of peltate scales that are clustered into a terminal cone; spores of 1 kind, spheric, green, unmarked, with 4 strap-like appendages.
Genera In Family: 1 genus, 15 species: worldwide except Australia, New Zealand.
eFlora Treatment Author: Robert E. Preston & Richard L. Hauke
Scientific Editor: Alan R. Smith, Thomas J. Rosatti.
Genus: EquisetumView DescriptionDichotomous Key

Common Name: HORSETAIL, SCOURING RUSH

Etymology: (Latin: horse, bristle, from roots of Equisetum fluviatile L.)

Equisetum arvense L.
NATIVE
Stem: annual, of 2 kinds. Sterile Stem: 10--60 cm, green; basal internode of branch > subtending sheath; sheath 3--8.5 mm, +- as long as wide, teeth 6--14, 1.5--3.5 mm, dark, often joined but not fused; branch with 3--4 rounded ridges, solid. Fertile Stem: 11--32 cm, unbranched, fleshy, brown, ephemeral; sheath 5--11 mm, > that of sterile stem, teeth 6--10, 3--7.5 mm.
Ecology: Streambanks, wet meadows, springs, other wet, shaded places; Elevation: < 3050 m. Bioregional Distribution: NW (exc NCoRH), CaR, SN (exc Teh), GV, CCo, SnFrB, SCoRO, SW (exc ChI), MP, SNE, DMoj (exc DMtns); Distribution Outside California: North America, Europe, Asia.
eFlora Treatment Author: Robert E. Preston & Richard L. Hauke
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Citation for this treatment: Robert E. Preston & Richard L. Hauke 2017. Equisetum arvense, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=24416, accessed on October 21, 2017.

Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2017. Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html, accessed on October 21, 2017.

Equisetum arvense
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© 2008 Keir Morse
Equisetum arvense
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© 2002 Tony Morosco
Equisetum arvense
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© 2012 Neal Kramer
Equisetum arvense
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© 2016 Keir Morse
Equisetum arvense
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© 2010 Keir Morse
Equisetum arvense
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© 2004 George W. Hartwell

More photos of Equisetum arvense in CalPhotos

Geographic subdivisions for Equisetum arvense:
NW (exc NCoRH), CaR, SN (exc Teh), GV, CCo, SnFrB, SCoRO, SW (exc ChI), MP, SNE, DMoj (exc DMtns);		 Markers link to CCH specimen records. Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues. Purple markers indicate specimens collected from a garden, greenhouse, or other non-wild location.
READ ABOUT YELLOW FLAGS
map of distribution 1
(Note: any qualifiers in the taxon distribution description, such as 'northern', 'southern', 'adjacent' etc., are not reflected in the map above, and in some cases indication of a taxon in a subdivision is based on a single collection or author-verified occurence).

View elevation by latitude chart		 Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria.
View all CCH records

CCH collections by month

Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa.
Blue line denotes eFlora flowering time.