Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Equisetum palustre
Marsh horsetail, Smooth scouring rush
Taxonomy

Synonyms:

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Images

   
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Species Distribution
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More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
0

Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: Extinct

Notes:Ebinger et al. 2010 say the following about this species in IL; "Confined to extreme northern United States and adjacent Canada the marsh horsetail grows in marshes, swamps, and on stream-banks. Mohlenbrock (2002a) lists this species for Peoria County [Peoria (ILL)], Tazewell County [Peoria 1953 (ILL)], and Woodford County [1891 McDonald (ILL)]. Hauke (1993) did not list this taxon for Illinois in the ‘‘Flora of North America.’’

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Fern-allies, perennial

Roots: adventitious, fibrous, rhizomes

Shoots: whorled leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; hastate leaf shape

Inflorescence: no

Flowers: unisexual, dioecious

Fruit:

Physiology: autotrophic; C3 C02 fixation

Reproduction: sexual, vegetative

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Banks of rivers and streams

ILPIN Notes: Stems annual Stems jointed, hollow, with a small central cavity, annual, regularly branched, green and all alike; leaves reduced to a whorl of fused scales, persistent; sporangia in terminal cones, spores all alike.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators: no
  • Dispersal: wind
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 10
  • Chicago Area: 10

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