Equisetum hyemale Calflora

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Taxon Report

Equisetum hyemale L.

Scouringrush horsetail

Equisetum hyemale is a fern that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.


	Plant Range Observation Search ~822 records in California Plant Characteristics

Photos on Calflora


Subspecies and Varieties:
... ssp. affine
Genus:	Equisetum
Family:	Equisetaceae
Category:	fern
PLANTS group:	Horsetail
Jepson eFlora section: fern

Toxicity: Do not eat any part of this plant.

Wetlands: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands

Habitat: streambanks

Communities: Yellow Pine Forest, Foothill Woodland, Chaparral, Valley Grassland, wetland-riparian, many plant communities

Name Status:
Accepted by PLANTS + POWO

Information about Equisetum hyemale from other sources


Nursery availability from CNPLX This plant is available commercially. USDA PLANTS Profile (EQHY) Photos on Calflora Photos on CalPhotos Google Images Photos on iNaturalist ID Tips on PlantID.net	International Plants Names Index Search efloras.org (Flora of North America) Landscape information from Calscape BONAP Distribution Map Consortium of California Herbaria 2 Search the Native American Ethnobotany Database	Add an Observation Location Suitability Planting Guide Distribution by County
[Wikipedia] Taxonomy: Linnaeus was the first to describe rough horsetail with the binomial Equisetum hyemale in his Species Plantarum of 1753. (link added by Mary Ann Machi) photos / record / common / links

Suggested Citation

Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/ (Accessed: 03/28/2025).