Common name: scouring rush horsetail -from Latin equus (horse) and saeta (bristle)
Families
of vascular plants, horsetails reproduce by spores rather than seeds.
For over one hundred million years the equisetum family dominated the
sub canopy of late Paleozoic forests. They are known as living fossils.
Horsetails
are a valuable dynamic accumulator plant very rich in silica but also
in magnesium, calcium and iron. As it decomposes these nutrients become
available to soil organisms and ultimately our plants.
They
are wonderful for bog gardens and for covering a wet low spot where
nothing else will grow; always taking care not to let it become invasive
to native populations.
Uses:
The
leaves are used as a dye and give a soft green color; its extract is
often used to provide silica for supplementation. It’s also used as a
fungicide, liquid feed; musical instrument; paper; parasiticide; polish;
sandpaper; scourer.
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