How to Know the Ferns

by S. Leonard Bastin

This species has three kinds of stems. The first of these is about six inches in height, and is provided with large loose sheaths. This bears the cone of fructification, which is ripened about the month of April. The second type of stem produces both branches and a fertile cone, though this latter is very much smaller than in the case of the first type of stem. Finally, there is the barren stem, which may be about eighteen inches in height; this is very rough, and has about twenty strongly-marked ridges. The sheaths, which are not so large as those of the fertile stem, fit somewhat closely. The stem branches freely, and it is to be noted that these branches have three or four ridges; as well, they bear sheaths which end in the same number of teeth. A distinctive feature of the Shade Horsetail is that the topmost whorls of branches spread upwards in such a way that they reach the summit of the stem; there is no long tapering point such as is to be seen in the case of the Field Horsetail, for instance. The result of this habit of growth is that the plant has a curious flat-topped appearance; it is on this account that the species has received one of its popular names.

The Shade Horsetail grows in damp meadows and very shady woods, though it is not common in all districts.

Equisetum sylvaticum. In this case the specific name is taken from the Latin silva, “a wood,” and is a reference to the habitat of the plant. The Wood Horsetail.

This is one of the most beautiful of our Horsetails. The plant has two kinds of stems, both of which are ultimately branched. The fertile stems put in an appearance first of all in the early spring; at this time these bear only a cone and are without branches. With the dispersal of the spores the cone shrivels up, and then the stems starts to send out green branches. These branches give off whorls of smaller branches from their joints. In a general way the stems of the barren shoots are not so succulent as those which bear the cone; the barren stems, too, are somewhat taller and branch more freely than the fertile ones. In both barren and fertile stems are to be noticed the whorls of small drooping branches which give a characteristic appearance to the Wood Horsetail, and by means of which it may always be identified. The sheaths which enclose the stem evidence three or four teeth, whilst the terminal branches (which are three-ribbed) bear at each joint a sheath ending in three long pointed teeth. The stems of the Wood Horsetail are marked by about a dozen ridges.

The Wood Horsetail is often abundant in damp shady woods.

Equisetum palustre. The specific name palustre means “belonging to the marshes.” The Marsh Horsetail.

This plant has a very thick rhizome from which arise the erect stems. The barren and the fertile stems closely resemble each other, being about a foot or more in height, with very rough surfaces on which it is possible to count from six to twelve very prominent ridges. The stems are enclosed at intervals in loose sheaths, which have the same number of teeth as the ridges on the stem. It should be noted that the branches from the various whorls show a marked tendency to turn upwards. On certain of the stems the fertile cone appears and the spores are ripened about June, after which the process withers. The plant as a whole remains green until late in the autumn. Sometimes in the case of large plants, cones have been known to occur on the tips of the branches of the Marsh Horsetail.

The Marsh Horsetail is a very common species, often growing in the greatest profusion by the sides of pools.

Equisetum limosum. In this case the specific name is a Latin word which means “full of mud”; this being an allusion to the fact that the plant favours swampy situations. The Smooth Naked Horsetail. The plant is also called the Water Horsetail.

A distinctive feature of this plant is that it has almost completely smooth stems, though a close examination will indicate the presence of a number of slight ridges. The barren and the fertile stems are very similar, and in a favourable situation they will grow to the height of two or three feet. A curious feature of this plant is the irregular way in which the branches appear. Sometimes the stems are quite bare; on other occasions they are partly branched; in any case the branches are short. The sheaths with many teeth are closely pressed to the stem. The fertile stem is, of course, distinguished by the cone which it bears at the summit. It is said that cattle are not averse to eating the Smooth Naked Horsetail, and certainly the stems are not unpleasant to the touch.