Taxonomy
Family: Equisetaceae
Habitat
Ditches, shores, marshes, and bogs. In mud or shallow water.
Associates
Lysimachia thyrsiflora
Distribution
Circumboreal; occurring as far south as southern PA, IL, IA, NE, and WA in North America.
Morphology
Fertile and sterile stems alike, produced annually, to 1 m or more, with 9-25 smooth, shallow ridges; central cavity more than half the diameter of the stem; sheaths green, 4-9 mm, with black or nearly black, persistent teeth 1.5-3 mm or more long; branches may be lacking or abundant from the middle and upper nodes. Strobilis 1-2 cm, pedunculate, deciduous.
Notes
Strobilli produced May and June
Wetland indicator: Obligate
Another common name is simply "Pipes".
References
Gleason, Henry A.
and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States
and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
Swink, F. and G.
Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.
Michael Hough © 2010 |