Plate 63. 
* 
EQXJXSETXJM palxjstke, Linn . 
Marsh Horsetail. 
Equisetum (§ iEstivalia) palustre ; stems from a foot to a foot and a half high, 
four- to eight-furrowed, very smooth to the touch; teeth of the sheaths 
wedge-shaped, acute, brown at the point and membranaceous at the margin ; 
branches simple, whorled, gradually shorter upwards, sometimes wanting; 
catkins terminal, obtuse. 
Equisetum palustre. Linn. Sp. PI. p. 1516. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 5. p. 5. ScJik. 
Fil. t. 169, 170 {very good). FI. Ban. t. 1183. Bolt. Fil. p. 64. t. 35. 
Fngl. Bot. t. 2021. Faiich . Monogr. p. 30. t. 3. Buval-Jouve , in Bull. 
Soc. Bot. v. 5. p. 516. /. 4. Sm. Engl. FI. v. 4. p. 338. Hook, and Am. 
Brit. FI. ed. 8. p. 600. Coss. and Germ. FI. Env. Par. p. 879. Newm. Brit. 
Ferns, p. 43 {with figures). 
Yar. ft. polystachion ; whorls of branches bearing catkins. Willd. l.c. Sm. Engl. 
FI. 1. c. 
Yar. y. Hook, and Am. Brit. FI. l.c. p. 601. 
Equisetum palustre minus polystachyon. Bauh. Pin. p. 10 ; Prodr. p. 24. 
Baii Syn. p. 131. t. 5./. 3. 
Hah. Marshy ground; equally common with the two preceding throughout the 
British dominions. 
Mr. Hewett Watson justly observes of this : “A very variable 
plant; the small and slightly-branched states of which, both 
alpine and sublittoral, are not distinguished from H. variegatum 
without difficulty in determining to which species the individual 
examples should be referred.” I have experienced the difficulty 
myself, especially of that small slightly-branched state, figured 
by Newman, and called var. nudum. The stems should be of 
annual duration, one would presume, in order to belong to the 
section “ Aflstivalia, persistant jusqu a 1’hiver,” in contradistinc¬ 
tion to the “ Hyemcilia, persistant pendant Haver;” but though 
Cosson does place it in that section, he yet calls it perennial. 
The polystachious form is analogous to that noticed under E. 
limosum. The species is common on the continent of Europe, 
but Dr. Asa Gray does not consider it to be a native of the 
United States; but I possess specimens gathered by Bourgeau 
in Palliser’s Exploring Journey in British North America, which 
X am disposed to consider the same; and there is the same 
or a nearly allied species, of which I possess specimens from 
