Leaf
botany08, Wikimedia · CC BY 4.0
Field horsetail
Equisetum arvense L.
Also known as: Common horsetail, Horsetail
Family: Equisetaceae
20 to 50 cm
Fields, banks, sandy and damp ground
Flowering: Does not flower — reproduces by spores
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
A cousin of the plants that dominated the Earth 300 million years ago — its stem, jointed segment by segment, looks like no other plant. The great horsetail is markedly taller and sturdier, with dark green stems persisting through winter, whereas the field horsetail is smaller, with slender sterile stems with regular branching.
🍃 Leaves
Reduced to tiny teeth at each node; bright green sterile stems much branched in whorls
🌸 Flowers
No flowers: a brownish spore-bearing cone appears in spring before the green stems
🍎 Fruits
No fruits — spores released by the early spore-bearing cone
🪵 Bark
Hollow, jointed stems, siliceous and rough to the touch
🗺️ Distribution
Europe, Asia, North America; very common in France on clayey, damp soils
🐝 Value for pollinators
Plant reproducing by spores, without flowers or interest for pollinators
✂️ Horticultural uses
Rarely cultivated, sometimes invasive; used as a decoction for plant protection in the garden
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Toxic to horses in large quantities (thiaminase, destroying vitamin B1); traditional human use as a herbal tea at moderate doses
⚠️ Look-alike species
Field horsetail
Equisetum arvense
Great horsetail
Equisetum telmateia
The great horsetail is markedly taller and sturdier, with dark green stems persisting through winter, whereas the field horsetail is smaller, with slender sterile stems with regular branching.
🌿 Other Equisetaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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