Equisetaceae
(Scouring Rush Family)
Habit
- semiaquatic,
rhizomatous perennials
Stems
- erect, often unbranched with minute
ridges and grooves; hollow inside
Leaves
- simple,
whorled,
bases fused
Sporangia
- all alike
(homosporous); aggregated at tips of branches beneath
peltate scales
(sporangiophores); fertile branch tip called a
strobilus
Spores
- green, with 4-6 straplike arms
(elaters) that are
hydroscopic
Diversity
- 1 genus / 15 species (3 in Arizona)
Distribution
- cosmopolitan; colonizing lake and river margins
Economics
- medicinal herb &
pot scrubber due to silica
Notes
-
Images
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