Equisetum pratense Ehrh.
Meadow horsetail
Meadow horsetails, like other members of the genus, prefer moist habitats such as woods, thickets, river edges, and meadows, in sunlight or partial shade. Plants: Meadow horsetails have thin light green fragile-looking branches, in symmetric whorls off the main stem, and don’t exceed about 24" (60 cm) in height. Branches tend to be straight, or to droop somewhat, while in other species the branches are ascending. Stems are ¹/₃₂-⅛" (1-4 mm) in diameter, with 8-18 ridges. A cross-section of a sterile stem reveals that up to half the diameter of the stem is hollow, more so than with marsh horsetail. Fertile stems are 8-10" (20-25 cm) tall, and pale pink or brownish at first, tipped by a cone-like sporangia. After fruiting, though, the fertile stems become green and develop branches, looking like the sterile stems. Sterile stems are 8-24" (20-60 cm) tall, and very rough. See Equisetum for a comparison chart. Leaves: Tiny, non-photosynthetic leaves called scales are fused to the stem at branch nodes, or sheaths. Sheaths are ¹/₁₆-⅛" (2-6 mm) long, with 8-10 brown, white-edged teeth. Fruits: Fertile stems are tipped by a single blunt-tipped cone-like strobilus, ½-1½" (1.5-4 cm) long, atop a stalk. Spores are released in April. Edibility: These aren’t eaten by people, but caribou, moose, grizzly bears, geese, and sheep consume it. (Horses may consume this, but some species of Equisetum are toxic to horses.) From Thomé, Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm, Flora von Deutschland Österreich und der Schweiz., 1885 Online References:
Equisetum pratense at Minnesota Wildflowers Equisetum pratense on BorealForest.org Equisetum pratense on www.delta-intkey.com Equisetum pratense on Earl J.S. Rook's Flora, Fauna, Earth, and Sky ... The Natural History of the Northwoods Equisetum pratense at the Central Yukon Species Inventory Project Equisetum pratense on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants Equisetum pratense at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Equisetum pratense on Flora of Iceland Equisetum pratense on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network Equisetum on Discover Life Equisetum pratense on gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org References:
9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine 5/9/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts Equisetum pratense description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 30 Nov 2020. © FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
4/30/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts 5/21/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire 5/2/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts 8/2/2009 · Gordon & Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine About 8 x 5" · 9/4/2010 · Old Rail Trail near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, Massachusetts 8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, Massachusetts 9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine Range:
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