Mature stems reach a full height of about 80 cm (31 inches). They are usually oriented slightly upward and have a wispy appearance. The branches themselves are covered in toothed sheaths. palustre usually occur at the upper or middle nodes of the shoots. A cross-section of these stems shows a circular central cavity surrounded by hollow, polygonal ridges. This species has two types of stems – a sterile, photosynthetic one and a fertile, blunt-tipped one with a tiny spore cone at its apex. It is distinguished by its toothed sheaths, which have about 5 – 10 tiny (3 – 7 mm long) brown teeth a few millimeters above the nodes. arvense due to their similar branch sheath features. In the wild, it is often associated with Juncus, Thuja, and Carex grasses.Į. Unlike other horsetail species, it is not known for producing large colonies. It is also found growing in bogs, fens, and sedge meadows in the US. The marsh horsetail is considered a wetland marginal plant as it is naturally found along the edges of lakes, pools, streams, marshes, and seeps. Due to their tolerance for moist conditions, horsetails are regarded as ideal pond edge plants.ġ) Marsh horsetail (Equisetum palustre ) Marsh horsetail is known for its toothed sheaths and can be found in wetlands. Moreover, as these plants are types of ferns, they reproduce via spores on strobili. Their remarkably tiny and non-photosynthetic leaves require close inspection. Their photosynthetic stems are unmistakable due to their distinct nodes. Most species spread by rhizomatous growth and may produce dense clonal stands.ĭespite the absence of foliage and flowers, horsetails are quite eye-catching and highly structural. In temperate areas, they tend to die back in winter. In tropical areas, they can be cultivated as evergreen ornamentals for year-round color in the garden. These perennials are adapted to a wide range of ambient conditions. The majority of Equisetum species are native to the Northern Hemisphere, though they are now distributed all across the globe with the exception of Antarctica. Even then, their shoots had already begun to grace the borders of natural water features. Fossil records show that today’s modern species likely arose as early as the Jurassic period. Horsetails are considered “living fossils” as their features have largely been conserved through millennia. Named for their resemblance to the wispy bristles of a horse’s tail, these plants belong to a specialized family of ferns called Equisetaceae. 1.12 12) Mexican giant horsetail (Equisetum myriochaetum) Horsetails can be found across the globe with the exception of Antarctica and are considered to be “living fossils”! Gerwin Sturm / CC BY-SA 2.0
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