Equisetum laevigatum

$11.75

We do not take online orders for plants. Please come in to the nursery, call or email: (510) 234-2222 or sales@thewatershednursery.com

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Smooth scouring rush

This prehistoric relative of the fern grows throughout much of North America. Early settlers and Indians used scouring rush scouring and polishing pots and pans, hence the name “scouring rush”. The grittiness comes form the high silica content of the plant cells.

Often forming clonal colonies of plants, the root system consists of spreading rhizomes with secondarily fibrous roots. The bright green tubular stems grow vertically from 3 to 5 ft tall. If you need to fill in lots of empty space this is the perfect species, but the dense root structure can crowd out other plants. A beautifully zen choice for bogs and water gardens

Lifeform: Perennial

Sun: Full Sun, Part Shade

Water: High, Light, Moderate

Soil: Clay, Loam, Sand

Other: Attracts Birds, Deer Resistant, Erosion Control

 

Container

1-Gal-O, 1-Gal

Ecological Value

Because horsetails often form dense colonies, they provide protective cover for small mammals, birds, and other vertebrate wildlife.

Historical Uses

Native Americans have used tissue from this plant as sandpaper. The stem alone has been used worldwide to treat kidney and bladder troubles, arthritis, bleeding ulcers, and tuberculosis.

Distribution

Native to California and is also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.

Elevation

From a bit lower than sea level to 948 feet.

Communities
Habitat

Moist prairies, riverbanks, roadsides