Dwarf Scouring Rush Equisetum scirpoides

Dwarf horsetail is an herbaceous, evergreen, non-flowering perennial in the Equisetaceae (horsetail) family.  It is native to the subarctic and temperate northern hemisphere including northern U.S., Alaska, Canada, Finland, Greenland, Norway, Russia, China and Mongolia.   It has also been introduced into Belgium and Great Britain. It forms clumps of slender, wiry, unbranched stalks up to 1 foot tall.  The upright stems have a curly or zig-zag habit, with segmented joints where a sheath of very small, dark, scale-like leaves is arranged in a ring around each joint.  It forms both fertile and infertile shoots. This plant reproduces by means of a spore-bearing cone that forms a sharp point at the tip of fertile stems. Spores are released in early to mid-summer or in the spring after over-wintering. Plants also spread by means of rhizomes. It is found in sun or shade in moist habitats with sandy soil such as wetlands, ditches, swamps, ponds, shorelines and other shallow waters.

The genus name is from Latin equus (horse) and seta (bristle). The species name is from Latin scirpus (rush).

Native Americans have used this plant as a food source and as a scouring material, due to its rough texture. It also provides a beneficial habitat for small wildlife and grizzly bears forage on it.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. Spreads by rhizomes