# great horsetail (*Equisetum telmateia*) The great horsetail is a tall, green plant that looks like a giant green brush! It grows in wet places and is very special because it has been around for millions of years. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 16 - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![great horsetail](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Equisetum_telmateia_ENBLA01.jpeg&width=800) Photo: Enrico Blasutto, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Equisetum_telmateia_ENBLA01.jpeg) ## Appearance The great horsetail has two distinct types of stems. Early fertile stems are unbranched, pale brown, and topped with a cone of spores. Later, sterile stems grow tall and vivid green with whorls of fine, brush-like branches, resembling a miniature fir tree. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Polypodiopsida - **Order:** Equisetales - **Family:** Equisetaceae - **Genus:** Equisetum ## Interesting facts - Ancient plant relatives grew as tall as trees during the age of dinosaurs! - Each spore has spring-like elaters, helping it jump and fly in the wind! - It breathes through tiny holes called stomata, mostly on its branches! - Its rough stems were once used by pioneers to scrub pots and pans! ## Special abilities - **Grit Power:** Great horsetail has silica crystals in its stems that make it strong and abrasive, helping it deter munching animals. - **Spore Scatter:** Great horsetail can spread tiny, dust-like spores that float on the wind to grow new plants, helping it colonize damp areas. - **Root Runner:** Great horsetail grows long underground stems called rhizomes, allowing it to rapidly spread and form large colonies. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 20-100 cm - **Spread:** 30-150 cm - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Wind ## Ecological connections - **Eats:** Horsetail Leaf Beetle (*Lema cyanella*) — Larvae and adults feed on horsetail stems. - **Shelter:** Common Frog (*Rana temporaria*) — Hides among its dense stems near water. - **Shelter:** Common Garter Snake (*Thamnophis sirtalis*) — Hides within thick horsetail growth near water. ## Traits - [Nitrogen Fixing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nitrogen-fixing): Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants. - [Grass-Like](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grass-like): Grass-like plants are herbaceous plants that visually resemble true grasses, typically having long, narrow leaves. - [Spore Producing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spore-producing): Spore-producing organisms reproduce by releasing small, often single-celled, reproductive units called spores. - [Ancient Lineage](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ancient-lineage): This trait signifies organisms belonging to a very old evolutionary group with ancestors dating back millions of years. - [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. - [Longevous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/longevous): This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Giant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/giant): Giant describes organisms or objects of significantly larger size than average for their species or type. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always look but don't touch plants you don't know, as some can be harmful. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify great horsetail? Compare frond shape, how the leaflets are arranged, the stalk, and any spore clusters you can see. A single detached leaflet often hides the plant's overall growth pattern. Fern Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is great horsetail? 20-100 cm ### How wide does great horsetail spread? 30-150 cm ### Is great horsetail edible? No ### Is great horsetail toxic? Mild ### What is great horsetail's lifecycle? Perennial ### How is great horsetail pollinated? Wind ### Where is great horsetail usually found? Wetlands ## Where to spot - [Bloedel Reserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bloedel-reserve) — Washington, US · Botanical Garden - [Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cougar-mountain-regional-wildland-park) — Washington, US · Park - [Fairhaven](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fairhaven) — Washington, US · Neighborhood - [Santiam State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/santiam-state-forest) — Oregon, US · Forest - [Union Bay Natural Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/union-bay-natural-area) — Washington, US · Nature Reserve - [Elwha Dam](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/elwha-dam) — Washington, US · Historic Site [View all places to see great horsetail](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/great-horsetail) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Great Horsetail: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-horsetail)