166 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



Schleicheri of Milde, and the name Moorei is now generally used in 

 British Floras. 



Moore s Horsetail. 



SPECIES VIII.— E Q U I S E T U M TRACHYODON. A. Braun. 



Plate 1896. 



E. Mackaii, Newm. Hist. Brit. Ferns, ed. ii. 1844, p. 25. 



E. hyemale, var. Mackaii, Newm. Phytol. 1842, p. 305. 



E. variegatum, var. trachyodon, Booh. fil. Stud. Fl. ed. ii. p. 502. 



E. elongatum, Hook. Lond. Journ. Bot. 1842, p. 42. Non Willd. 



E. ramosum, Benth. Handb. Brit. Fl. p. 620. Non DC. 



Stems all similar, completely evergreen, usually several together 

 from each branch of the rootstock, rather slender, with a central 

 hollow about one-third of its diameter, with 8 to 14 rather shallow 

 furrows separated by acute-angled ridges, which are furrowed on the 

 back, and are rough with small prominent tubercles arranged in 

 2 lines on each ridge, dull dark green. Sheaths shortly cylindrical, 

 closely applied to the stem, at first green and concolorous, then with 

 a black band at the apex, soon becoming wholly black, but ultimately 

 usually having a narrow whitish ring below the narrow black apical 

 band ; each of the portions of the sheath which corresponds to one of 

 the teeth with a rather broad deep furrow in the centre, and another 

 broad shallow rather indistinct furrow on each side between the central 

 furrow and the great furrow which extends between the teeth from 

 the apex to the base of the sheath ; teeth 8 to 14, triangular-subulate, 

 gradually acuminated into long subulate-setaceous straight rough firm 

 persistent points, pitchy-black, with rather narrow paler or white 

 scarious margins, furrowed on the back, persistent, though sometimes 

 their points get broken off, occasionally becoming nearly wholly white 

 when old. Branches absent, or rarely produced unless the main stem 

 be injured, and then solitary, resembling the stem in miniature, with 

 its first internode much shorter than the stem-sheath below which it is 

 produced ; sheath enclosing the first internode of the branch, pitchy- 

 black, shining, irregularly toothed ; sheath at the apex of the first inter- 

 node of the branch terminated by ovate-triangular apiculate pitchy- 

 black teeth without furrows on the back ; the succeeding ones 

 similar to those on the main stem, pitchy black. Spike oval-ovoid, 

 abruptly acuminated and mucronate, pitchy-black, its base embraced 

 by the teeth of the uppermost sheath. 



In wet, shady places, very rare. On the banks and in the water 



