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Taxon  Report  
Equisetum hyemale  L.
Scouringrush horsetail
Equisetum hyemale is a fern that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Equisetum
Family: Equisetaceae  
Category: fern  
PLANTS group:Horsetail
Jepson eFlora section: fern

Toxicity: Do not eat any part of this plant.

Wetlands: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands

Habitat: streambanks

Communities: Yellow Pine Forest, Foothill Woodland, Chaparral, Valley Grassland, wetland-riparian, many plant communities

Name Status:
Accepted by PLANTS + POWO
Information about  Equisetum hyemale from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
USDA PLANTS Profile (EQHY)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Taxonomy: Linnaeus was the first to describe rough horsetail with the binomial Equisetum hyemale in his Species Plantarum of 1753. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 05/16/2025).