California Biota Home Page....Eukaryota....Plantae

Phylum

(Horsetails or Scouring Rushes)

Left: Fossil horsetail, Green River Formation, Wyoming (Eocene)
Right: Equisetum sp., San Francisco County, CA (live specimen)

The California elements of this phylum include:

Class Equisetopsida
        Order Equisetales
            Family Equisetaceae
                Genus Equisetum L.
                    Equisetum arvense L. (Common Horsetail)
                    Equisetum hyemale L. ssp affine (Engelm.) Calder & R.H.Taylor
                    (Common Scouring Rush)
                    Equisetum laevigatum A. Braun (Smooth Scouring Rush)
                    Equisetum palustre L. (Marsh Horsetail)
                    Equisetum telmateia Ehrh. ssp. braunii (Milde) R.L.Hauke (Giant
                    Horsetail)