Field Horsetail is a primitive, spore-bearing plant related to ancient tree-sized relatives that dominated 300-million-year-old forests. It spreads aggressively by underground rhizomes and produces two types of stems: fertile brown stems in spring and green vegetative stems in summer. The silica-encrusted stems were used historically as a scouring material.
Best time to see a Field Horsetail
The best time to see a Field Horsetail is March–May, when about 61% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 20,939 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
Not certain it is a Field Horsetail? What plant is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.
Recent Field Horsetail sightings near you
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