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Equisetum pratense
Also called Meadow Horsetail, Shade Horsetail, Thicket Horsetail
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.
Equisetum pratense contains the enzyme thiaminase which destroys thiamine (vitamin B1). In sufficient quantity it is therefore toxic.
Equisetum pratense occurs in alluvial woods, thickets, mossy glades, and calcareous meadows. It is a common pioneer species, commonly growing where instability or water erosion leaves an often open ground surface or where sandy alluvium accumulates beside streams. Where vegetation is more abundant, the fern occurs only as sparse and diminutive shoots, as the fern is succumbing to competition in a later seral community.
Field Horsetail · Andean Horsetail · Braun's Horsetail · Equisetum diffusum · Water horsetail · Southern Giant Horsetail · Rough Horsetail · Smooth horsetail · Equisetum ×moorei · Mexican Giant Horsetail · Marsh horsetail · Scouringrush Horsetail
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Equisetum pratense by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
