Dwarf scouring rush
Equisetum scirpoides

Family: Equisetaceae

What it is like

Equisetum scirpoides is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 2. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.

Height (m): 0.2

Where it is found

Tundra, mossy places, and woods. Stems often partly buried in humus. Part shade, shade; moist woods, peat bogs, shady, mossy wetlands.

Native to northern Eurasia and America.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

The root tubercles can be eaten raw. Sterile stems are dried, ground to a powder and used for thickening or to make a mush. This powder has also been used to make a tea, and is sold in some grocery stores. Underground stems and roots are eaten raw, with or without lard, and are sometimes put in Indian ice-cream. Underground stems and roots are food to some native American groups. They are collected in the spring by water, and are sweet and juicy then, much relished as the first fruit of the season (flora.dempstercountry.org).

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Stem: this often intergrades into leaves.

Medicine

Rating: 2

We found no specific reference to this species but in general horsetails have an unusual chemistry compared to most other plants; they are rich in silica, more than 35%, contain several alkaloids (including nicotine) and various minerals. Horsetail is very astringent and makes an excellent clotting agent, staunching wounds, stopping nosebleeds and reducing the coughing up of blood. It helps speed the repair of damaged connective tissue, improving its strength and elasticity. Horsetail provides a naaturally occurring source of organic silica. It is therefore a remedy for conditions where there is an inability to absorb and retain silica. When this occurs there are weaknesses in the hard structures of the body. The hair becomes thin, fails to thrive, and fizzles away into split ends. The nails are often weak, breaking easily, with hangnails and lingering infections about the nail. In homeopathy, silica is known as the "homeopathic scalpel," because of its ability to act like a blade, like flint, to cut, to bring matters to the surface and to heal charitably. It cuts in, opens tissues, and releases pus and corrupted material, while cleansing and reincarnating flesh. It has a centripetal effect, removing heavy, unneeded materials to the surface and out.

Other

Rating: 3

Groundcover: A medium density moderately good groundcover. The coarse green stems are used to scrub pots and clean dishes. Larger horsetails have the ability to absorb heavy metals from soil and are often used in remediation projects involving heavy metal contaminants. Wildlife Benefits: Amphibians, Cover, Fish, Food, Nesting, Waterfowl. Containers. Dynamic Accumulator.

Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Ground Cover: Ground Cover

How it is grown

A Long-lived perennial evergreen with fibrous roots and the smallest living horsetail. Can be used as an aquatic fern. Light requirement: Sun, Part Shade, Shade. Soil moisture: moist or wet (recommended water depth over crown of plant: 0 - 3cm (0 - 1 inch)). Water quality: pH 5.6-6.5. Useful for winter interest in a small pond, barrel, or tub garden, especially in shady areas. Pond Zone: flood plain - Upland. High marsh - saturated. soil spores shed from July through August, or persisting unopened until the following summer. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a runner spreading indefinitely by rhizomes or stolons. Evergreen. The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length . Not a flowering plant. Reproduces by spores contained within sporangia borne on peltate sporophylls.

Propagating it: Rhizome sections. Horsetail plants produce the best rhizomes for propagation in the spring. Lengths of these underground stems, typically about 6 inches, with healthy shoots emerging from their joints produce the healthiest new plants.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 1-9

Growth: Slow

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Full shade, semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist, wet

Things to keep in mind

None Known. Dwarf scouring rush does not appear to be invasive, although there is limited data on this plant. Twelve of the 30 horsetail species are considered weeds. Common horsetail, Equisetum arvense, and scouring rush horsetail, E. hyemale, are of most concern.

Its other names

Local names

Dwarf scouring rush, Dwarf horsetail

Synonyms

Hippochaete scirpoides Farw.