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Equisetum telmateia
| Common name: |
Giant Horsetail |
Family: |
Equisetaceae |
| Author: |
Ehrh. |
Botanical references: |
17, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
Equisetum maximum (auct.) |
| Known Hazards: |
Large quantities of the plant can be toxic. This is because it contains the enzyme thiaminase[172], a substance that can rob the body of the vitamin B complex[65]. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is rich in vitamin B, though large quantities can cause severe health problems. The enzyme is destroyed by heat or thorough drying, so cooking the plant will remove the thiaminase[172].
The plant also contains equisetic acid - see the notes on medicinal uses for more information[213]. |
| Range: |
Europe, including Britain, from Sweden south and east to N. Africa and W. Asia, N.W. N. America. |
| Habitat: |
Damp shady banks etc, to 350 metres[17]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
1 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 1 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| E. braunii[B,P]
E. fluviatile[H]
E. maximum auct. non[P]
E. telmateia ssp. braunii[B,P]
E. telmateia var. braunii[B,CPHOTO,CAL,CAL,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Equiseto Mayor [E], Giant Horsetail [P,B], Great Horsetail [H], River Horsetail [H], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Equisetales. Horsetail family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Canada(Kwakiutl); Spain
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA
PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: Oregon, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmaina, Queensland. |
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 2m. It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower in March, and the seeds ripen in April. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and
1/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Edible Uses
Stem.
Strobil (the fertile shoots in spring) - raw or cooked[256]. The tough
outer fibres are peeled off, or can be chewed and then discarded[256].
The vegetative shoots, produced from late spring onwards, were occasionally
cleaned of their leaves, sheathing and branches and then eaten by native
North American Indians, but only when very young and tightly compacted[256].
Root - cooked[257].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Astringent; Diuretic; Poultice.
The plant is astringent and diuretic[257]. A decoction has been used to
treat 'stoppage of urine'[257]. A poultice of the rough leaves and stems is
applied to cuts and sores[257].
Other Uses
Basketry; Fungicide; Hair; Liquid feed; Polish; Sandpaper.
The stems are very rich in silica[4]. They are used for scouring and
polishing metal[1, 4, 46, 61, 99, 257] and as a fine sandpaper[54, 99, 257].
The stems are first bleached by repeated wetting and drying in the sun[74].
They can also be used as a polish for wooden floors and furniture[46, 178].
The infused stem is an effective fungicide against mildew, mint rust and
blackspot on roses[14]. It also makes a good liquid feed[54]. Used as a hair
rinse it can eliminate fleas, lice and mites[213].
The black roots have been used for imbrication on coiled baskets[257].
Cultivation details
Prefers a moist soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.5[200].
Plants are hardy to about -30°c[200].
Plants have a deep and penetrating root system and can be invasive. If grown
in the garden they are best kept in bounds by planting them in a large
container which can be sunk into the ground[200].
Propagation
Spores - best collected as soon as they are ripe in the spring and
surface-sown immediately on a sterile compost. Keep moist and pot up as soon
as the plants are large enough to handle. Very difficult[200].
Division. The plants usually spread very freely when well sited and should
not really need any assistance.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- Images
from the CalPhoto database.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
References for Equisetum maximum (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
References for Equisetum telmateia var. braunii (a possible synonym).
References for equisetum telmateia (a possible synonym).
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[54] Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977 ISBN 0-584-10141-4
Interesting reading.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.
[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.
[99] Turner. N. J. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum 1979 ISBN 0-7718-8117-7
Excellent and readable guide.
[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
[256] Turner. N. J. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples UBC Press. Vancouver. 1995 ISBN 0-7748-0533-1
Excellent little handbook about the native food plants of Western Canada. Good descriptions of the plants and their uses with colour photos of most plants.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
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Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Equisetum+telmateia
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Equisetum+telmateia
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