Flora of North America species comparison

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Equisetum hyemale

Equisetum hyemale subsp. affine

common scouring-rush, prêle d'hiver, scouring horsetail, scouring rush, scouringrush horsetail, tall scouring-rush
Photo is of parent taxon

common scouring-rush, Dutch rush, giant scouring rush, prairie scouring rush, rough horsetail, scouring-rush, scouringrush horsetail
Sheaths

when mature dark-girdled, brown to gray above girdle, squarish in face view, 4.5–17 × 3.5–18 mm;

teeth 14–50, articulate and promptly shed or persistent.
Aerial stems

persisting more than a year, unbranched, 18–220 cm;

lines of stomates single;

ridges 14–50.
Cone

apex pointed;

spores green, spheric.
2n

=216.

Equisetum hyemale

Equisetum hyemale subsp. affine
Phenology Cones maturing in summer, old stems sometimes developing branches with cones in spring.
Habitat Moist roadsides, riverbanks, lakeshores, woodlands
Elevation 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Mexico; Central America in Guatemala; Europe; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Mexico; Central America in Guatemala
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (1 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

In southern and central to western regions plants tend to be taller and have more persistent teeth (Equisetum robustum, E. prealtum); in the Far West they often have bituberculate ridges (E. hyemale var. californicum). Equisetum hyemale subsp. hyemale is found in Europe and Asia to northwestern China in Xinjiang.

Subspecies affine is found throughout subarctic Alaska, including the Aleutian Islands.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Equisetaceae > Equisetum > subg. Equisetum Equisetaceae > Equisetum > subg. Equisetum > Equisetum hyemale
Sibling taxa
E. arvense, E. fluviatile, E. laevigatum, E. palustre, E. pratense, E. ramosissimum, E. scirpoides, E. sylvaticum, E. telmateia, E. variegatum, E. ×ferrissii, E. ×litorale, E. ×mackaii, E. ×nelsonii
Subordinate taxa
E. hyemale subsp. affine
Synonyms E. robustum var. affine, E. hyemale var. affine, E. hyemale var. californicum, E. hyemale var. pseudohyemale, E. hyemale var. robustum, E. prealtum
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1062. (1753) (Engelmann) Calder & Roy L. Taylor: Canad. J. Bot. 43: 1387. (1965)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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