Equisetum arvense

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Equisetum arvense
Equisetum arvense foliage.jpg
Photosynthetic summer branches
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Polypodiophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Subclass: Equisetidae
Order: Equisetales
Family: Equisetaceae
Genus: Equisetum
Subgenus: E. subg. Equisetum
Species:
E. arvense
Binomial name
Equisetum arvense
L.
Synonyms [1]
  • Allosites arvenseBrogn.
  • Equisetum arvense fo. arcticum(Rupr.) M. Broun
  • Equisetum arvense fo. boreale(Bong.) Klinge
  • Equisetum arvense fo. campestre(Schultz) Klinge
  • Equisetum arvense fo. ramulosum(Rupr.) Klinge ex Scoggan
  • Equisetum arvense subsp. boreale(Bong.) Á. Löve
  • Equisetum arvense subsp. ramulosum(Rupr.) W.F. Rapp
  • Equisetum arvense var. arcticumRupr.
  • Equisetum arvense var. campestre(Schultz) Rupr.
  • Equisetum arvense var. ramulosumRupr.
  • Equisetum borealeBong.
  • Equisetum calderiB. Boivin
  • Equisetum campestreSchultz
  • Equisetum saxicolaSuksd.
Fertile shoot Equisetum arvense fertile spore-bearing stem - Keila.jpg
Fertile shoot

Equisetum arvense, the field horsetail or common horsetail, is an herbaceous perennial plant in the Equisetidae (horsetails) sub-class, native throughout the arctic and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It has separate sterile non-reproductive and fertile spore-bearing stems growing from a perennial underground rhizomatous stem system. The fertile stems are produced in early spring and are non-photosynthetic, while the green sterile stems start to grow after the fertile stems have wilted and persist through the summer until the first autumn frosts. [2] [3] It is sometimes confused with mare's tail, Hippuris vulgaris . [4]

Rhizomes can pierce through the soil up to 6 feet (1.8 m) in depth. This allows this species to tolerate many conditions and is hard to get rid of even with the help of herbicides. [5]

Taxonomy

Linnaeus described field horsetail with the binomial Equisetum arvense in his Species Plantarum of 1753. [6] The specific epithet arvense is from the Latin "arvum", meaning "ploughed", referencing the growth of the plant in arable soil or disturbed areas. The common name "common horsetail" references the appearance of the plant that when bunched together appears similar to a horse's tail. [7]

Many species of horsetail have been described and subsequently synonymized with E. arvense. One of these is E. calderi, a small form described from Arctic North America. [8]

Names

Some other common names include "horse pipes", "bottle-brush", "snake-grass", "devil's-guts", "horsetail fern", "pine-grass", "meadow-pine", and "foxtail-rush". [9] It is also known as "marestail", primarily in the UK, [10] but this common name is also used for the flowering aquatic plant Hippuris vulgaris and the common North American weed Erigeron canadensis . [11] [12] The Finnish name of the plant peltokorte, literally meaning "field horsetail" refers to the latin name of the plant.

Description

Equisetum arvense creeps extensively with its slender and felted rhizomes that freely fork and bear tubers. The erect or prostrate sterile stems are 10–90 cm (3.9–35.4 in) tall and 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) diameter, with jointed segments around 2–5 cm (0.79–1.97 in) long with whorls of side shoots at the segment joints; the side shoots have a diameter of about 1 mm (0.039 in). Some stems can have as many as 20 segments. The solid and simple branches are ascending or spreading, with sheaths that bear attenuate teeth. The off-white fertile stems are of a succulent texture, 10–25 cm (3.9–9.8 in) tall and 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) diameter, with 4–8 whorls of brown scale leaves and an apical brown spore cone. The cone is 10–40 mm (0.39–1.57 in) long and 4–9 mm (0.16–0.35 in) broad. [2] The fertile stems are typically precocious and appear in early spring. [13] It has changed little from its ancestors of the Carboniferous period.

The plant is difficult to control due to its extensive rhizomes and deeply buried tubers. Fire, mowing, or slashing is ineffective at removing the plant as new stems quickly grow from the rhizomes. Some herbicides remove aerial growth but regrowth quickly occurs albeit with a reduction in frond density. [7]

E. arvense is a nonflowering plant, multiplying through spores. It absorbs silicon from the soil, which is rare among herbs.[ citation needed ] It has a very high diploid number of 216 (108 pairs of chromosomes). [2]

Habitat and distribution

Equisetum arvense grows in a wide range of conditions, in temperatures less than 5 °C (41 °F) to greater than 20 °C (68 °F) and in areas that receive annual rainfall as low as 100 mm (3.9 in) and as great as 2,000 mm (79 in). It commonly occurs in damp and open woodlands, pastures, arable lands, roadsides, disturbed areas, and near the edge of streams. It prefers neutral or slightly basic clay loams that are sandy or silty, especially where the water table is high, though it can occur occasionally on slightly acid soils. [7]

The plant is widespread in the northern hemisphere, growing as far as 83° North in North America and 71° North in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia and as far south as Texas, India and Iran. It is less widespread in the southern hemisphere, but it occurs in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Madagascar, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. [7]

Uses

Drawing of a fertile stem of E. arvense, 10 cm as drawn. At the top is the strobilus, which consists of the axis (inside) and 15-20 horizontal circles of about 20 sporangiophores. Lower on the stem are two sheaths of merged microphylls. The stem has many strong lengthwise ridges. Equisetum arvense fertile.png
Drawing of a fertile stem of E. arvense, 10 cm as drawn. At the top is the strobilus, which consists of the axis (inside) and 15–20 horizontal circles of about 20 sporangiophores. Lower on the stem are two sheaths of merged microphylls. The stem has many strong lengthwise ridges.

Medicine

The plant contains several substances that can be used medicinally. It is rich in silicon (10%), potassium, calcium, manganese, magnesium and phosphorus, phytosterols, dietary fiber, vitamins A, E and C, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides and caffeic acid phenolic ester. The buds are eaten as a vegetable in Japan and Korea in spring. All other Equisetum species are toxic.[ citation needed ] In polluted conditions[ citation needed ], it may synthesize nicotine. [14]

Recent research has shown limited evidence of anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. [15]

Craft production

It was also once used to polish pewter and wood (gaining the name pewterwort) and to strengthen fingernails. It is also an abrasive. It was used by hurdy-gurdy players to dress the wheels of their instruments by removing resin build up. [16]

Horticultural and agricultural

In horticulture and agriculture, an aqueous extract of E. arvense has been approved for use as a fungicide in the European Union and the United Kingdom (since Brexit). [17] Horsetail extract can be used to fungal pathogens on crops including: [18]

Equisetum is used in biodynamic farming (preparation BD 508) in particular to reduce the effects of excessive water around plants (such as fungal growth). The high silica content of the plant reduces the impact of moisture. [19]

Traditional medicine

E. arvense has been used in traditional Austrian herbal medicine internally as tea, or externally as baths or compresses, for treatment of disorders of the skin, locomotor system, kidneys and urinary tract, rheumatism and gout.[ citation needed ]

Externally it was traditionally used for chilblains and wounds. [20]

In Finnish traditional medicine, E. arvense has been especially valued for its high concentration of silicic acid and has been seen to help and been used in a number of ways:

Harmful effects

Equisetum arvense is toxic to stock, particularly horses. [22]

It was introduced into New Zealand in the 1920s and was first identified as an invasive species there by Ella Orr Campbell in 1949. [23] It is listed on the National Pest Plant Accord, prohibiting its sale, spread and cultivation. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ascomycota</span> Division or phylum of fungi

Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The defining feature of this fungal group is the "ascus", a microscopic sexual structure in which nonmotile spores, called ascospores, are formed. However, some species of Ascomycota are asexual and thus do not form asci or ascospores. Familiar examples of sac fungi include morels, truffles, brewers' and bakers' yeast, dead man's fingers, and cup fungi. The fungal symbionts in the majority of lichens such as Cladonia belong to the Ascomycota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fern</span> Class of vascular plants

The ferns are a group of vascular plants that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissues that conduct water and nutrients and in having life cycles in which the branched sporophyte is the dominant phase.

<i>Equisetum</i> Genus of vascular plants in the family Equisetaceae

Equisetum is the only living genus in Equisetaceae, a family of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds.

<i>Equisetum fluviatile</i> Species of vascular plant in the horsetail family Equisetaceae

Equisetum fluviatile, the water horsetail or swamp horsetail, is a vascular plant. It is a perennial herbaceous pteridophyte.

<i>Calamites</i> Extinct genus of vascular plants in the Order Equisetales

Calamites is a genus of extinct arborescent (tree-like) horsetails to which the modern horsetails are closely related. Unlike their herbaceous modern cousins, these plants were medium-sized trees, growing to heights of 30–50 meters. They were components of the understories of coal swamps of the Carboniferous Period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equisetidae</span> Subclass of ferns

Equisetidae is one of the four subclasses of Polypodiopsida (ferns), a group of vascular plants with a fossil record going back to the Devonian. They are commonly known as horsetails. They typically grow in wet areas, with whorls of needle-like branches radiating at regular intervals from a single vertical stem.

<i>Equisetum sylvaticum</i> Species of vascular plant in the horsetail family Equisetaceae

Equisetum sylvaticum, the wood horsetail, is a horsetail native to the Northern Hemisphere, occurring in North America and Eurasia. Because of its lacy appearance, it is considered among the most attractive of the horsetails.

<i>Dicksonia antarctica</i> Species of fern

Dicksonia antarctica, the soft tree fern or man fern, is a species of evergreen tree fern native to eastern Australia, ranging from south-east Queensland, coastal New South Wales and Victoria to Tasmania.

<i>Onoclea sensibilis</i> Species of fern

Onoclea sensibilis, the sensitive fern, also known as the bead fern, is a coarse-textured, medium to large-sized deciduous perennial fern. The name comes from its sensitivity to frost, the fronds dying quickly when first touched by it. It is sometimes treated as the only species in Onoclea, but some authors do not consider the genus monotypic.

<i>Uncinula necator</i> Species of fungus

Uncinula necator is a fungus that causes powdery mildew of grape. It is a common pathogen of Vitis species, including the wine grape, Vitis vinifera. The fungus is believed to have originated in North America. European varieties of Vitis vinifera are more or less susceptible to this fungus. Uncinula necator infects all green tissue on the grapevine, including leaves and young berries. It can cause crop loss and poor wine quality if untreated. The sexual stage of this pathogen requires free moisture to release ascospores from its cleistothecia in the spring. However, free moisture is not needed for secondary spread via conidia; high atmospheric humidity is sufficient. Its anamorph is called Oidium tuckeri.

<i>Equisetum giganteum</i> Species of vascular plant in the family Equisetaceae

Equisetum giganteum, with the common name southern giant horsetail, is a species of horsetail native to South America and Central America, from central Chile east to Brazil and north to southern Mexico.

<i>Equisetum palustre</i> Species of vascular plant in the horsetail family Equisetaceae

Equisetum palustre, the marsh horsetail, is a perennial herbaceous pteridophyte belonging to the division of horsetails (Equisetopsida). It is widespread in cooler regions of North America and Eurasia.

<i>Equisetum pratense</i> Species of horsetail plant

Equisetum pratense, commonly known as meadow horsetail, shade horsetail or shady horsetail, is a widespread horsetail (Equisetophyta) and it is a pteridophyte. Shade horsetail can be commonly found in forests with tall trees or very thick foliage that can provide shade and tends to grow closer and thicker around streams, ponds and rivers. The specific epithet pratense is Latin, meaning pasture or meadow dwelling.

<i>Equisetum telmateia</i> Species of vascular plant in the horsetail family Equisetaceae

Equisetum telmateia, the great horsetail or northern giant horsetail, is a species of Equisetum (puzzlegrass) with an unusual distribution, with one subspecies native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa, and a second subspecies native to western North America. The North American subspecies is often simply but ambiguously called "giant horsetail", but that name may just as well refer to the Latin American Equisetum giganteum and Equisetum myriochaetum.

<i>Equisetum hyemale</i> Species of horsetail plant

Equisetum hyemale is an evergreen perennial herbaceous pteridophyte in the horsetail family Equisetaceae. It is a native plant throughout the Holarctic Kingdom, found in North America, Europe, and northern Asia.

<i>Selaginella selaginoides</i> Species of spore-bearing plant

Selaginella selaginoides is a non-flowering plant of the spikemoss genus Selaginella with a wide distribution around the Northern Hemisphere. It resembles a moss in appearance but is a vascular plant belonging to the division Lycopodiophyta. It has a number of common names including lesser clubmoss, club spikemoss, northern spikemoss, low spikemoss and prickly mountain-moss. This plant has one close relative, Selaginella deflexa, native to Hawaii. These two plants form a small clade that is sister to all other Selaginella species.

This article summarizes different crops, what common fungal problems they have, and how fungicide should be used in order to mitigate damage and crop loss. This page also covers how specific fungal infections affect crops present in the United States.

<i>Equisetum scirpoides</i> Species of vascular plant in the horsetail family Equisetaceae

Equisetum scirpoides Michx., Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 281 (1803). 2 n = 216.The smallest of the currently occurring representatives of the genus Equisetum (horsetail).

Equisetum ramosissimum var. huegelii, with synonyms including Equisetum debile and Equisetum huegelii, is a variety of Equisetum ramosissimum, a plant in the family Equisetaceae, found in parts of tropical Asia and China.

<i>Lygodium articulatum</i> Species of fern

Lygodium articulatum, commonly referred to as mangemange or Bushman's mattress, is a fern endemic to the North Island forests of New Zealand. Mangemange is an endemic species and is unique compared to other ferns in the area due to the vine–like curtain it creates in the canopy. Although the majority of the plant is found in the canopy of the surrounding forest, the roots and stem of mangemange form on the ground, meaning it cannot be classified as an epiphyte.

References

  1. "Name – Equisetum arvense L." Tropicos. Missouri Botanical Garden. 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Hyde, H. A., Wade, A. E., & Harrison, S. G. (1978). Welsh Ferns. National Museum of Wales ISBN   0-7200-0210-9.
  3. Flora of North America: Equisetum arvense
  4. Dao-Lan, Xu; Jian-Guo, Cao; Quan-Xi, Wang; Xi-Ling, Dai (November 2015). "Cloning and Characterization of DEAD-box RNA Helicases Gene from the Fern Equisetum arvense". Plant Diversity and Resources. 36 (6): 715–722. doi:10.7677/ynzwyj201414036 (inactive 31 January 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link)
  5. "Equisetum arvense horsetail". oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  6. Linnaeus, C. (1753). Species Plantarum. Vol. II (1st ed.). Stockholm: Laurentii Salvii. p. 1061.
  7. 1 2 3 4 W. T. Parsons, William Thomas Parsons, E. G. Cuthbertson (2001). Noxious Weeds of Australia (illustrated, revised ed.). Csiro Publishing. p. 14. ISBN   9780643065147.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Boivin, Bernard (January–March 1960). "A New Equisetum". American Fern Journal. 50 (1): 107–109. doi:10.2307/1545251. JSTOR   1545251.
  9. "field horsetail Equisetum arvense Weed Profile". Weed Identification - Virginia Cooperative Extension. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  10. "Field horsetail". BBC Gardeners World Magazine. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  11. Hotchkiss, Neil (1972). Common Marsh, Underwater, and Floating-leaved Plants of the United States and Canada. New York: Dover Publications Inc. p. 60. ISBN   978-0-486-22810-5 . Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  12. Smith-Fiola, Deborah; Gill, Stanton (2021). "Marestail: Identification and Management in Nursery and Landscape Settings". University of Maryland Extension. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  13. Merrit Lyndon Fernald (1970). R. C. Rollins (ed.). Gray's Manual of Botany (Eighth (Centennial) – Illustrated ed.). D. Van Nostrand Company. p. 4. ISBN   0-442-22250-5.
  14. Bebbington, A. "Toxicity of Equisetum to Horses" . Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  15. Şeyma Şahinler, Saliha (2022). "Equisetum arvense L". Novel Drug Targets with Traditional Herbal Medicines. SpringerLink. pp. 249–262. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-07753-1_17. ISBN   978-3-031-07752-4 . Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  16. La Vielleuse Habile, Jean-Francois Bouin, 1761, p. 19.
  17. "Low-risk active substances and basic substances". www.hse.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  18. European Commission. "Review report for the basic substance Equisetum arvense L. Finalised in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health at its meeting on 20 March 2014 in view of the approval of Equisetum arvense L. as basic substance in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2022.
  19. Kearny, Peter. "Bio Dynamic Prep 508". Bio Dynamic Prep 208. City Food Growers. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  20. Howard, Michael. Traditional Folk Remedies (Century, 1987); pp. 159–160
  21. Piirainen, Mikko; Piirainen, Pirkko; Vainio, Hannele (1999). Kotimaan luonnonkasvit[Native wild plants] (in Finnish). Porvoo, Finland: WSOY. p. 497. ISBN   951-0-23001-4.
  22. "Equisetum arvense". Poisonous Plants of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  23. Clemens, J (2003). "In Memory of Ella O. Campbell, DNZM, FRIH" (PDF). Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture. 6 (1): 2. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  24. Howell, Clayson (May 2008). Consolidated list of environmental weeds in New Zealand (PDF). DRDS292. Wellington: Department of Conservation. ISBN   978-0-478-14413-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2009.