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Scouringrush Horsetail
Equisetum hyemale |
This plant was actually used by early settlers to scour their pans. That seems very clever of them, but I suspect they learned that from the Native Americans, who used it as a sort of sandpaper, smoothing arrows, canoes, and anything else that needed sanding.
I will try using this plant to clean some pans someday and will let you know how well it works.
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| Neither the fertile nor the sterile stems are branched, unless broken |
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| Sterile stem on left, fertile on right |
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| The sheath tightly clasps the stem, as opposed to the very similar Smooth Horsetail, which spreads out from the stem |
Horsetail is also called Snakegrass. I had a small patch in the flower bed by garage when I moved in. The grass took over the entire bed. Roundup did not stop it. Best advice is to dig it out before it starts to creep. Snakegrass is an invasive weed.
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