Equisetum arvensis
Scientific Name | Equisetum arvensis L. |
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Common Names | English: Field horsetail; German: Acker-Schachtelhalm; Spanish: Cola de caballo; French: Prêle des champs |
Description | Perennial with a spreading rhizome system that produces numerous shoots and tubers, mainly occurs in moderate areas. |
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Descriptions
Characteristic Features
Upright, hollow, jointed, cylindrical stems with inconsequential and easily overlooked leaves.
Stems
Two types of stems: The fertile (reproductive) stems appear in the early spring and are whitish to light brown, unbranched, hollow, 8 mm (0.31 inch) in diameter, cylindrical, leafless, jointed, and 15-30 cm (5.9 - 11.8 inch) long with 8 to 12 teeth.
Sterile stems are green, erect or somewhat prostrate, 15-60 cm (5.9 - 23.62 inch) tall and are composed of slender, grooved, hollow joints, 1 to 1.5 mm (0.039 - 0.059 inch) in diameter .The middle and upper joints have 6 to 12 needle-like branches that are 5-10 cm (1.97 - 3.93 inch) long, jointed but not hollow, 3- or 4-angled with blackened tips. The stems and branches are surrounded by a small, toothed sheath at each node.
Leaves
Leaf sheaths of fertile shoots with ridged, rough textured 8 - 12 dirty brown teeth. Leaf sheaths of sterile shoots triangular-lanceolate, half as long as sheath tube.
Propagation Organs
Flowers
No flowers.
Fruit
Pinecone-like structure formed at the end of the fertile stem produces thousands of minute, pale green to yellowish spores.
Seeds
Fertile stems emerge in mid-April, begin spore production in early May, and die soon after. Sterile stems emerge in late spring as the fertile stems wither, and persist until frost.
Viability of Seeds
Small tubers produced along the rhizomes are capable of surviving long periods in the soil.
Propagation
Reproduces by spores but mainly by horizontal rhizomes and tubers.
Occurrence
Habitat
Wet, poorly drained areas of fields and grasslands; wet meadows; streams, well drained sites in farm fields, orchards and nursery crops, roadsides, railroad tracks and beaches.
Soil
Sandy or gravelly soil, acidic and wet soil conditions, soils with high available potassium levels.
Agricultural Importance
Rhizome fragments and tubers are easily spread to new areas in infested soil. As a result, this species is often difficult to control. It can be a strong competitor with crops, as well as a threat to grazing animals due to toxic compounds. Field horsetail extracts can inhibit germination and reduce vigor of 30 grass species.
Control
Useful non-chemical contribution to Integrated Weed Management
Minimum or zero tillage, avoid soil compaction and soil acidity.
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