Horsetails 



rootstock an erect, fertile stem, bearing at its extremity 

 the characteristic yellowish cone. This stem, which is 

 rarely branched, is succulent, smooth, yellowish-brown 

 in colour, and from 3 to 7 inches in length. It bears 

 four or five loose sheaths ending in pointed teeth, with 

 thin light brown margins. After the spores are scattered 

 by the wind, the fertile stems decay and are succeeded 

 by the barren vegetative ones, which may be either 

 erect or almost prostrate. The later stems when 

 mature are crowded with whorls of spreading branches 

 which in their turn may also be branched. Towards 

 the top the main stem tapers away to a long point 

 without leaves. Both stems and branches are rough 

 to the touch, owing to the flinty crystals which abound 

 on their surfaces. The stem is marked by many ridges 

 and furrows, which vary in number, but the branches 

 are definitely four furrowed and possess sheaths all 

 four toothed. 



It should be noted that the barren and fertile stems 

 are quite distinct in the Field Horsetail, not only in 

 appearance, but also in the times at which they emerge 

 from the soil. Although appearing in pastures, this 

 plant appears to be avoided by cattle on account, 

 perhaps, of the flinty particles referred to above. 



Arvense is a Latin adjective derived from arvus, 

 " a field," and is applied to this horsetail because, 

 unlike the other native horsetails, it often appears as a 

 weed in dry pastures. 



At a first glance our next species, the Blunt-topped 

 78 



