111.100 Equisetum L. - Horsetails

Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011) Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature

Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria.

Roux, J.P. (2001) Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13

Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970) Pteridophyta Flora Zambesiaca

Description of the genus

Terrestrial perennial plants with creeping subterranean rhizomes, roots borne in whorls at the nodes. Aerial stems erect, green, hollow, jointed, conspicuously ribbed,with whorls of branches at the nodes.the branches themselves also jointed. Leaves reduced to a many-toothed short sheath at each node. Cones (sporangiophores) borne at the ends of the main vegetative stems and rarely the branches too.

Derivation of name: equus: horse, seta: britle, hair; referring to the horsetail-like appearance of this fern.

Worldwide: c. 15 species, cosmopolitan except Australia

Zimbabwe: 1 taxon.

Equisetum ramosissimum subsp. ramosissimum

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
ramosissimum Desf. subsp. ramosissimum N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Equisetum:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Equisetum
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Equisetum
Flora of Malawi: Equisetum
Flora of Mozambique: Equisetum
Flora of Zambia: Equisetum

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Equisetum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Equisetum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Equisetum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Equisetum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Equisetum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Equisetum
JSTOR Plant Science: Equisetum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Equisetum
Plants of the World Online: Equisetum
Tropicos: Equisetum
Wikipedia: Equisetum

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Genus page: Equisetum.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=7, retrieved 19 March 2024

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