54 FLOWERLESS PLANTS 



for horsetails, by far the greater number would 

 probablj' bring back something which was not 

 the plant at all. Quite often the Mare's Tail 

 [Hippuris vulgaris) is mistaken for the true 

 Equisetunis. This plant is sometimes quite 

 common in damp ditches, especially where 

 there is any stagnant water, and superficially 

 it bears a resemblance to the Horsetail. It 

 is, however, a true flowering plant, and if we 

 search at the base of the upper lea\'es on the 

 stem we shall find the small flowers. In the 

 case of the Eqiiisetiim these will, of course, 

 never occur, although both plants have the 

 same cylindrical jointed stems. 



One of the most abundant of British horse- 

 tails is the Field Horsetail {Equisetum arvense). 

 The plant grows in damp places almost every- 

 where, but it is especially common on railway 

 embankments and by the sides of roads. In 

 fields or gardens it is a sign of faulty culti- 

 vation, as showing that the land has not been 

 properly drained. It is not an easy plant to 

 eradicate, seeing that its creeping stems burrow 

 in all directions under the surface. In the 

 summer the plant is rather attractive with its 

 upright, rounded stems, from which grow out 



