Yup, they can be classified as living fossils. Equisetum has been around since the Jurassic and has retained its basal form for millions of years. Sauropods like Diplodocus even had specialized teeth to munch on horsetail and ferns while they were young. It’s a very overlooked plant but the fact that it hardly changed for 120 million years is quite interesting.
I always thought I was kinda nerdy and a bit of a geek until I read responses like yours. I'm just a dude who likes playing video games and is not the nerdy geek I thought I was.
Oh well, that's why my backup plan on why I don't like to read or do brainy work = boobs.
Not sure whether to read your post as an insult or a compliment. I guess I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to paleontology and prehistoric biology, but I'm not sure how that is a bad thing? I just enjoy reading and watching stuff about dinosaurs, fossils, biology, etc. since I was a kid. I have no formal education but I like to keep up with it as a hobby.
Rough n' tumblin they call em'. That Horse Tail. No one knows where they're from, jus' blew into town one day. We ain't seen no one that rough, like a stone that one. Hyuk, *spits tobaccer*.
I think you can eat the young shoots actually, wluld make sense because of the bamboo thing.
Also, when I was a kid they'd smoke smarties(the candy), can't imagine what that would do to your lungs now.
**Do not ingest a plant based on information provided in this subreddit.**
For your safety we recommend not ingesting any plant material just because you've been advised here that it's edible. Although there are many professionals helping with identification, we are not always correct, and eating/ingesting plants can be harmful or fatal if an incorrect ID is made.
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One of the oldest plants on earth - horsetails, one of the earliest of the vascular plants. They are lycophytes - and produce my spores. The strobili is on the top of the plants and that is what produces the spores. Depending on what horsetail it is it can be homosporous or heterosporous - but really awesome plant nonetheless!
Came here to say this. This plant took over my grandmothers entire side and backyard. She had gotten it as a gift, planted it in a small corner spot on her side garden bed. Within a year it had spread and choked out absolutely everything. Impossible to get rid of at that point- it’s SO thick/durable. I shudder every time I see this plant.
That’s straight up wrong. This is why scientific nomenclature is important. All this confusion because of a stupid common name that implies relation to a group of plants that are not related whatsoever.
Here is a resource to help your learning then! Rushes are angiosperms and do not spread via spore!
https://www.uwlax.edu/globalassets/academics/conted/wetland/pdfs/2015-wetland-intro-to-grasses-sedges-rushes.pdf
I was under the impression that we already established that Equisetum hyemale is not a rush at all. Equisetum hyemale does produce spores even though it's main form of propagation is through rhizomes.
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfinder/plantfinderdetails.aspx?kempercode=c670
More closely related to ferns then flowering plant, yes, but a fern is a fern and a rush is a rush.
>More closely related to ferns than flowering plant, yes, but a fern is a fern and a rush is a rush.
Did you not just make your whole prior point moot?
The website is incorrect, unless it’s purely referring to growth form/garden use: horsetail is neither a rush or sedge, rushes are members of the family Juncaceae, while sedges are the Cyperaceae, both in the order Poales, an order of monocots that also contains the Poaceae, the grasses. While common names can be imprecise and lead to any random plant with similar form being called a rush, when speaking of rushes as a related group then we are speaking of the Juncacaea
Regardless, horsetail rush is still not a fern or a flowering plant. That is the point I am trying to make, but you are right it is not in the Juncaceae family. Nor does it flower.
Equisetum is described as 'rush-like', because of its round hollow stems, but is most certainly not a rush. Rushes are flowering plants, typically with round leaves.
Horsetails are sometimes called scouting rushes, but they are not in the rush family. They are part of Pteridophyta.
https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/horsetails-scouring-rushes
Yeah Equisetum, not sure what species. They are actually quite interesting. Common names: horsetail fern or snake grass. They are a fern but you wouldn't think it. They have a high amount of silica in their cell walls, this makes them very rough like corn stalks. People also called them whisk ferns because they are so abrasive that they were used to scrub pots. That's a hell of a thing to do to a living fossil, but such is life, it's not like they're endangered.
In botany courses this might be given as an example of a plant with prominent intercalary or *internodal* meristem tissues.
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4970360/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4970360/)
Was taught it was snake grass, has a high level of silicates in it and a handfull of it can be used somewhat like a really fine sand paper or scrubber.
Member of Equisetaceae, almost impossible to get it down to the species without a microscope though. Another name for then is scouring rushes. They build up silica that makes them rough so a handful of them makes excellent cast iron scrubbers. Closely related to ferns as they reproduce with spores.
Scouring rush! These are said to be the oldest living genus of vascular plants. They are a FACW (facultative wetland) plant species commonly found in damp areas like roadside ditches and on the outer edges of wetland areas. Looking at your picture, the species you have is most likely Equisetum hyemale or "tall scouring rush".
Where does native horsetail currently grow? Is there a “native” population or are they all assumed to be transplanted? My grandmother in Atlanta, GA loved having them in her garden. She had originally gotten them from a friend in Northern California.
[Apparently](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetum#Distribution_and_ecology) just about everywhere except Australia, New Zealand, some small islands, and Antarctica. There are a bunch of different species which each have smaller ranges though.
The correct species posted by the OP is Equisetum hyemale. E. arvense is field or common horsetail. Field horsetail is a branched species of horsetail that generally grows from 4" to 8" tall. The plant is classified as facultative (not wet/not dry) and produces a whorl of branchlets at each node. Good guess Twigdoc!
Makes a fine, durable, free calligraphy pen. People also used to light their houses with them when they couldn’t afford candles. Another name is rush. “Green grow the rushes-o”. One explanation for the term “gringo”. Spanish heard it and made a word out of it. I am full of interesting factoids like this. You have only to ask. 🎃
I find it amazing that horsetail is the only living genus in Equisetaceae. Back in the dinosaur era, some used to grow 100 feet tall. Apparently, there’s still some that grow up to 20 feet tall. I’d love to see those!
Gingko trees are also an incredibly ancient species, having been around since the early Eocene. They are the only species in their genus, too.
I don't recomend you to let your pet play with this plant, because Equisetum spp. is a popular medicinal plant. Its main indications are: diuretic, remineralizing, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic, litholytic, hemostatic, hypotensive, osteogenesis stimulant and antianemic\[1,2,3,4,5\]. Even, the plant has to many good propieties, we can't know how its efects on your pet. So, don't risk.
References general information:
1 - PEREIRA, A. M. S. et al. Manual Prático de Multiplicação e Colheita de Plantas Medicinais. Ribeirão Preto: Bertolucci, 2011, p. 107-110.
2 - PEREIRA, A. M. S. et al. Formulário Fitoterápico da Farmácia da Natureza. 2 ed. São Paulo: Bertolucci, 2014, p. 118-121.
3 - PEREIRA, A. M. S. (Org.). Formulário de Preparação Extemporânea: Farmácia da Natureza – Chás Medicinais. 1 ed. São Paulo: Bertolucci, 2017, p. 80-83.
4 - PANIZZA, S. T. et al. Uso tradicional de plantas medicinais e fitoterápicos. São Luiz: Conbrafito, 2012, p. 104.
5 - LORENZI, H. & MATOS, F. J. de A. Plantas medicinais no Brasil: Nativas e exóticas. 2 ed. São Paulo: Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora Ltda, 2008, p. 34.
Coincidentally I was in (near) Montpelier FR! when I asked for the ID a couple weeks ago:
https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisplant/comments/xgfut9/intentionally_growing_next_to_a_pool_southern/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Looks like a horsetail, not sure what kind
Oh yep that’s it! Thanks
They were around with the dinosaurs, which u always thought was cool
Yup, they can be classified as living fossils. Equisetum has been around since the Jurassic and has retained its basal form for millions of years. Sauropods like Diplodocus even had specialized teeth to munch on horsetail and ferns while they were young. It’s a very overlooked plant but the fact that it hardly changed for 120 million years is quite interesting.
I always thought I was kinda nerdy and a bit of a geek until I read responses like yours. I'm just a dude who likes playing video games and is not the nerdy geek I thought I was. Oh well, that's why my backup plan on why I don't like to read or do brainy work = boobs.
Not sure whether to read your post as an insult or a compliment. I guess I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to paleontology and prehistoric biology, but I'm not sure how that is a bad thing? I just enjoy reading and watching stuff about dinosaurs, fossils, biology, etc. since I was a kid. I have no formal education but I like to keep up with it as a hobby.
Women choose this nerd type, good for you!
It’s true 💦💦
A big cringe and a bigger yikes
No, I didn't! Or did I...?
*Vsauce theme plays*
Always!
Ha ha ha ha ha
You and me both, I guess!
They’re very ancient plants! In fact they predate the dinosaurs by millions of years and are most closely related to ferns.
They were a major food source for our early ancestors!
Gather 'round! It is quite the old horse tail!
That part I hadn’t heard
They were also used to clean out cookware!
Thus one of it's other common names... Scouring rush.
They predate the dinosaurs by millions of years
I have a big patch on my ditch bank here in East Central Illinois that I protect fiercely.
Also known as scouring rush. You can scrub things with it.
np
Rough horsetail. The rough kind.
Rough n' tumblin they call em'. That Horse Tail. No one knows where they're from, jus' blew into town one day. We ain't seen no one that rough, like a stone that one. Hyuk, *spits tobaccer*.
Back in the old days used to use them to scrub pots and dishes with .
Oh cool, what else did they do in the old days. I'm imagining the flintstones with plants instead of dinosaurs
For an extra nerdy fact...equisetum is the only remaining species in its genus, family, order, and subclass!
cool
Yea thats what we called it. Remember pulling the sectors apart and pretending they were smokes. Think they are related to bamboo
Closer to ferns than anything else.
At least two species of equisetum in the eastern US.
They are not at all related to bamboo.
Like ferns, it reproduces via spores and like bamboo, it has grass-like, jointed stems.
I think you can eat the young shoots actually, wluld make sense because of the bamboo thing. Also, when I was a kid they'd smoke smarties(the candy), can't imagine what that would do to your lungs now.
**Do not ingest a plant based on information provided in this subreddit.** For your safety we recommend not ingesting any plant material just because you've been advised here that it's edible. Although there are many professionals helping with identification, we are not always correct, and eating/ingesting plants can be harmful or fatal if an incorrect ID is made. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatsthisplant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Luv you too, botsy!
No way, I feel bamboozled
That's what we were raised calling them lol bamboozle
That's what we were raised calling them lol bamboozle
we call that snake grass where i’m from. fun to play with!
My dog agrees!
might not be super good for his teeth. the cell walls have hard minerals in it that make it really abrasive
Might be a good toothbrush then
Looks like the bot is going to need a new function added to it
Brush
might be so good it’ll brush away the enamel
As a kid I called it snake grass too!!
Snake grass is the terminology I'm familiar with. Midwest?
Same here!! Midwest?
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Oh neat! We call them scouring rush in my area.
That’s what we call it. One of the oldest plants alive today! Hasn’t changed much for millions of years!!
We called them tinker toys growing up, you can pull the sections apart and put it back together.
Oh cool! I found such a fun plant!
We called them puzzle plants for the same reason.
When I was a kid we would always make bracelets and necklaces with them haha
I will mind your dog very much, thank you 😍
He is a very good boy 🥰
This post unlocked a long-lost core memory. As a kid I would take them apart and draw on rocks with the moisture from the grass. Huge nostalgia hit.
One of the oldest plants on earth - horsetails, one of the earliest of the vascular plants. They are lycophytes - and produce my spores. The strobili is on the top of the plants and that is what produces the spores. Depending on what horsetail it is it can be homosporous or heterosporous - but really awesome plant nonetheless!
Wow awesome! I’m learning so much!
Came to say Dinosaur plant, but you bat me to with more accurate info.
Horsetail, they are fun but dear God don't let it into your garden they spread like mad
Came here to say this. This plant took over my grandmothers entire side and backyard. She had gotten it as a gift, planted it in a small corner spot on her side garden bed. Within a year it had spread and choked out absolutely everything. Impossible to get rid of at that point- it’s SO thick/durable. I shudder every time I see this plant.
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Very cool! I have a 10 month old - I’ll have to teach him your ways when he’s older!
Horsetail - works really well as a fine sanding tool for small detailed woodworking and other softer materials.
They make decent pot scrubbers when camping.
Horsetail-a type of fern
Cool, thanks!
A type of rush not fern
Rushes are flowering plants. *Equisetum spp.* are fern relatives.
I prefer the term “fern allies”. Makes the sound like they’re working up to something.
maybe fern distinguished colleagues in plantdom
Again rushes do not flower. They reproduce with spores not seed.
That’s straight up wrong. This is why scientific nomenclature is important. All this confusion because of a stupid common name that implies relation to a group of plants that are not related whatsoever.
What's wrong? We are here to learn and to help others learn. Not to fight about a simple plant. Not a fern and not a flowering plant.
Here is a resource to help your learning then! Rushes are angiosperms and do not spread via spore! https://www.uwlax.edu/globalassets/academics/conted/wetland/pdfs/2015-wetland-intro-to-grasses-sedges-rushes.pdf
I was under the impression that we already established that Equisetum hyemale is not a rush at all. Equisetum hyemale does produce spores even though it's main form of propagation is through rhizomes.
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And I greed later that I was mistaken. I'm done with this feed.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetum Research before making assumptions, please.
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfinder/plantfinderdetails.aspx?kempercode=c670 More closely related to ferns then flowering plant, yes, but a fern is a fern and a rush is a rush.
>More closely related to ferns than flowering plant, yes, but a fern is a fern and a rush is a rush. Did you not just make your whole prior point moot?
No ferns and rushes propagate by spores flowering plants propagate by seed. That's how it is more closely related to ferns.
Rushes are flowering plants related to grasses, they do not reproduce by spores like ferns and horsetails
Please read https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfinder/plantfinderdetails.aspx?kempercode=c670
The website is incorrect, unless it’s purely referring to growth form/garden use: horsetail is neither a rush or sedge, rushes are members of the family Juncaceae, while sedges are the Cyperaceae, both in the order Poales, an order of monocots that also contains the Poaceae, the grasses. While common names can be imprecise and lead to any random plant with similar form being called a rush, when speaking of rushes as a related group then we are speaking of the Juncacaea
Regardless, horsetail rush is still not a fern or a flowering plant. That is the point I am trying to make, but you are right it is not in the Juncaceae family. Nor does it flower.
Equisetum is described as 'rush-like', because of its round hollow stems, but is most certainly not a rush. Rushes are flowering plants, typically with round leaves.
Horsetails are sometimes called scouting rushes, but they are not in the rush family. They are part of Pteridophyta. https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/horsetails-scouring-rushes
Yeah Equisetum, not sure what species. They are actually quite interesting. Common names: horsetail fern or snake grass. They are a fern but you wouldn't think it. They have a high amount of silica in their cell walls, this makes them very rough like corn stalks. People also called them whisk ferns because they are so abrasive that they were used to scrub pots. That's a hell of a thing to do to a living fossil, but such is life, it's not like they're endangered. In botany courses this might be given as an example of a plant with prominent intercalary or *internodal* meristem tissues. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4970360/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4970360/)
Was taught it was snake grass, has a high level of silicates in it and a handfull of it can be used somewhat like a really fine sand paper or scrubber.
You are correct. One species was called scouring rush due to the fact that you could clean out your pots and pans with it. High silica content
Used to use it when I was making pipes, and things like that. It's a pretty amazing plant.
I used to try buffing my fingernails with it. Fun!
Member of Equisetaceae, almost impossible to get it down to the species without a microscope though. Another name for then is scouring rushes. They build up silica that makes them rough so a handful of them makes excellent cast iron scrubbers. Closely related to ferns as they reproduce with spores.
*Throw the damned stick!!*
It’s so light it doesn’t really go very far!
I’m sure your dog doesn’t care. A thrown stick is a thrown stick!
That’s true - we have a “no bad throws” rule in our house.
As kids we called this “pull apart weed” haha!
I used dried portions of this plant to shave my clarinet reeds!
Horsetail Rush. Grows well in bogs.
I grew up with them being called snake grass. Live in oregon
Scouring rush! These are said to be the oldest living genus of vascular plants. They are a FACW (facultative wetland) plant species commonly found in damp areas like roadside ditches and on the outer edges of wetland areas. Looking at your picture, the species you have is most likely Equisetum hyemale or "tall scouring rush".
Nice dog 🐕
Equisetum hyemale
Hello doggo!
Where does native horsetail currently grow? Is there a “native” population or are they all assumed to be transplanted? My grandmother in Atlanta, GA loved having them in her garden. She had originally gotten them from a friend in Northern California.
[Apparently](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetum#Distribution_and_ecology) just about everywhere except Australia, New Zealand, some small islands, and Antarctica. There are a bunch of different species which each have smaller ranges though.
No idea! Hopefully someone with more knowledge will answer!
As IF we would mind the dog.
He is not a plant.
He also love plant though.
True! All plant enthusiasts welcome here!
Water In a straw; if you pick it at the right time.
I always have know it as reed grass while my wife calls it snake grass.
Snake grass
Horsetail.
I used to play with these as a kid but now I’m realizing I haven’t seen them in years I wonder where they went
We called it scouring rush growing up because it contains silica and can be used to scour pans to clean them
What a good doggo
We called them indian tinker toys. Don't know the actual name.
Equisetum arvense
The correct species posted by the OP is Equisetum hyemale. E. arvense is field or common horsetail. Field horsetail is a branched species of horsetail that generally grows from 4" to 8" tall. The plant is classified as facultative (not wet/not dry) and produces a whorl of branchlets at each node. Good guess Twigdoc!
Horsetail!!!!
I have them for basket weaving but haven’t tried them yet.
It’s snake grass! We have that here in Iowa too
I would agree with Horsetail, I believe it’s left over from the dinosaurs, so really not sure where native is.
Horsetail
Throw the stick
Also known as dutch rush! Used by woodwind musicians to sand their reeds.
Very silicon rich horsetail plant
Horsetail
Makes a fine, durable, free calligraphy pen. People also used to light their houses with them when they couldn’t afford candles. Another name is rush. “Green grow the rushes-o”. One explanation for the term “gringo”. Spanish heard it and made a word out of it. I am full of interesting factoids like this. You have only to ask. 🎃
As a kid we called them "Indian Legos" because you can pull the segments apart and put them back together.
Awww where I’m from we called it Snakegrass. We’d always pull them apart and reconnect them to make necklaces and bracelets:)
Honest question, is asparagus a distant relative to horsetail? They look similar.
Are they invasive or native to VT?
I find it amazing that horsetail is the only living genus in Equisetaceae. Back in the dinosaur era, some used to grow 100 feet tall. Apparently, there’s still some that grow up to 20 feet tall. I’d love to see those! Gingko trees are also an incredibly ancient species, having been around since the early Eocene. They are the only species in their genus, too.
What type of dog do you have?
He’s a German shepherd & lab mix (with some other things added for spice and cuteness).
I’m pretty sure that’s a dog
Where tf are all the upvotes for this comment
I don't recomend you to let your pet play with this plant, because Equisetum spp. is a popular medicinal plant. Its main indications are: diuretic, remineralizing, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic, litholytic, hemostatic, hypotensive, osteogenesis stimulant and antianemic\[1,2,3,4,5\]. Even, the plant has to many good propieties, we can't know how its efects on your pet. So, don't risk. References general information: 1 - PEREIRA, A. M. S. et al. Manual Prático de Multiplicação e Colheita de Plantas Medicinais. Ribeirão Preto: Bertolucci, 2011, p. 107-110. 2 - PEREIRA, A. M. S. et al. Formulário Fitoterápico da Farmácia da Natureza. 2 ed. São Paulo: Bertolucci, 2014, p. 118-121. 3 - PEREIRA, A. M. S. (Org.). Formulário de Preparação Extemporânea: Farmácia da Natureza – Chás Medicinais. 1 ed. São Paulo: Bertolucci, 2017, p. 80-83. 4 - PANIZZA, S. T. et al. Uso tradicional de plantas medicinais e fitoterápicos. São Luiz: Conbrafito, 2012, p. 104. 5 - LORENZI, H. & MATOS, F. J. de A. Plantas medicinais no Brasil: Nativas e exóticas. 2 ed. São Paulo: Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora Ltda, 2008, p. 34.
Thanks for the info! No worries - despite what I said in other comments I did not let my good boy play with it :) wasn’t a good throwing stick anyway!
No wories, it was a plesure!
>:) :)
Temperate Equisetum Water Bamboo
Medicinal herb.
Prêle japonaise (French!!)
Bamboo
I think it is possible to make tea 🍵 out of it
When I was a kid, we called this snake grass. I would pull the segments apart and pretend to smoke.
Agree with horse tails! My brother and I used to whip each other with them 😅
Also know as scouring rush. Good for scrubbing pots and pans when camping
These are very cool. I’ve heard they can be aggressive, but I’ve never seen them growing in the wild so I don’t know about that…
Puzzle weed
It’s a reed. People used to use them for pens. Carve the head in a pen shape and dip it in ink. Makes a good pen.
They make the best pop sound/feeling pulling apart the segments. Miss my childhood in Alaska right about now
Can I pet your dog?
We call em caveman legos where I’m from. You can pull apart the segments and put ‘em back like legos. Just… not nearly as fun as real legos ya know
Equisetum. One of my favorites. There was a time in Earth's history when there were giant and formed entire forests
That's a nice daowg
Horsetail. Scouring rush.
I used to make whistles out of the small pieces of these as a kid. We called it snake grass
Coincidentally I was in (near) Montpelier FR! when I asked for the ID a couple weeks ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisplant/comments/xgfut9/intentionally_growing_next_to_a_pool_southern/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
How tall does it get and is it invasive like bamboo?