Winter Scouring Rush Equisetum hyemale

Scouring rush is an herbaceous, non-flowering perennial in the Equisetaceae (horsetail) family.  It is native to North America, Europe and northern Asia up to elevations of 8500 feet.  It is distributed in North America, Greenland, Mexico, Guatemala, Europe, and Asia.   It forms large, dense colonies of upright, reed-like, unbranched stalks up to 5 feet tall.  Stems may remain evergreen through the winter. Jointed stems have ring-like sheaths comprised of semi-deciduous, tiny scale-like leaves.  Stems have rough silica-containing ridges, making it unappealing to deer and other herbivores.  It forms both fertile and infertile shoots. This plant reproduces by means of a spore-bearing cone that forms at the tip of fertile stems. Spores are released in early to mid-summer. Plants also spread by means of a deep network of rhizomes and fibrous secondary roots.  It is found in moist habitats with sandy or gravely soil such as wetlands, ditches, streams and rivers subject to seasonal flooding, marshes, swamps, ponds and moist woodlands.

Native Americans utilized the stalks and/or roots of this plant as a food and fodder, for medicinal purposes and horse treatments, as fiber for baskets, as a disinfectant and insecticide, as an abrasive sanding compound, and in ceremonial uses.

The genus name is from Latin equus (horse) and seta (bristle). The species name hyemale means of the winter.

This plant is a very aggressive spreader and, if grown ornamentally, must be contained in pots to avoid unwanted invasive growth.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. Aggressively weedy.