English: Scouring rush; Scrubbing rush; Shave grass; Dutch rush; Rough horsetail; Scouring rush; Scouringrush horsetail; Snake grass.
Dutch: Schaafstro.
Clades:
Pteridophyta;
Equisetanae;
Equisetales;
Equisetaceae; Equisetum
Region: holarctic, North America, Europe, northern Asia.
Habitat: mesic, reliably moist, in wetlands, riparian zones of rivers and streams, withstanding seasonal flooding; in sandy or gravelly areas; between sea level to 2530 metres; around springs and seeps, moist forest and woodland openings, lake and pond shores, ditches, marshes and swamps; in full to partial sun.
Ecology: spreads very aggressively by underground runners; invasive in South Africa and Australia.
Use: polishing material in Japan; to scour or clean pots; as sandpaper; dried stems to shape reeds of reed instruments such as clarinets or saxophones; medicinal; homeopathic; ornamental, in contained garden beds and planters, in pots, in narrow planting spaces between walkways and walls, on small balconies, as an accent plant in garden ponds and pools, landscape water features, in submerged pots.
BotanyFern; perennial; vascular; forming dense spreading colonies.
Stem: vertical; hollow; jointed; reed-like stalks; medium to dark green; up to 90 cm high; seldom branched; with conspicuous ridges, impregnated with silica; ridges feel rough and harsh
Leaves: tiny; joined together around the stem, forming a narrow black-green band or sheath at each joint; deciduous in cold climates, remaining in warmer climates.