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Wood Horsetail

Wood Horsetail

Equisetum sylvaticum

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How common: Very common

Wood Horsetail is a soft, feathery horsetail of damp, shady places. It is a perennial fern ally that spreads by underground stems and by spores rather than flowers. Widespread across the northern hemisphere, it is often seen in wet woods, meadows and along ditches.

Did you know?

  • It makes two kinds of shoots: brown spring shoots with a cone of spores, and green, feathery summer shoots without a cone.
  • It spreads strongly by creeping underground stems, often forming large patches.

About the species

Identification

Perennial horsetail with upright, pale-green summer stems, 30–50 cm tall. Many thin, soft side branches grow in close rings around the stem, often forming horizontal tiers with drooping edges; the branches usually branch again. Stem rough to the touch and often slightly leaning at the top. At each joint is a loose green collar with 3–6 broad, reddish teeth. In spring, separate brown shoots carry a small cone at the tip; after shedding spores they turn green and branch like the summer stems. Looks like shady horsetail, but Wood Horsetail’s side branches are themselves branched.

Plant group

Ferns, horsetails and clubmosses

Habitat

mire

About the habitat

Grows in damp, shady places such as wet and rich forests, fens, wet meadows, field ditches, roadsides and embankments; prefers shade. Found throughout Finland.

Sources

Photo: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Equisetum sylvaticum Skrzyp leśny 2016-06-27 03.jpg

Text: Pinkka: Luonnonvaraiset lääkekasvit - Sanikkaiset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.37719

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki versot, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.37719

Text: Pinkka: BIO-514 Pohjois-Suomen putkilokasvit - Saniaiset ja liekokasvit, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.37719

Text: Pinkka: Metsälajintuntemus - Sanikkaiset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.37719

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mets%C3%A4korte

See also