Hands in the Dirt: Horsetail

Photo and article by Donna Iverson 

A part of the Paleozoic forest can still be found along West Michigan waterways, creeks, rivers and in moist woodlands.
This prehistoric ancient plant is called horsetail. It is, in fact, a living fossil, dating back 400 million years. It dominated the prehistoric landscape, growing to the size of trees.
​
It survived the Mesozoic era of the dinosaurs and grows everywhere in this country except the Deep South. But except for size, its appearance has little changed for millions and millions of years. Today horsetail stands about knee high.
Other names for horsetail are snake grass, devils gut, horse pipe, horsetail fern, meadow pine, foxtail bottlebrush, and pine grass. 

A cousin of mine said it was one of her favorite plants to find when playing as a kid in the local creek.  Her sisters and friends would weave the stalks into mats.
It grows and spreads from rhizomes and once established is almost impossible to eradicate. There are also spore-bearing cones in the tips of its stems.

A native perennial, it was used by Native Americans as an edible like asparagus, a medicinal for diuretic use and to scrub pots and pans. It is also used in modern-day Chinese medicine who brew it into a tea. But beware: chewing on raw horsetail is not recommended as it contains the neurotoxin Equisetum. It is, in fact, toxic to horses and sheep but rarely cattle. 

If you are interested in prehistoric plants, a book was published earlier this year called When the Earth was Green, by Riley Black. It examines the relationship between the green world and life on earth down to the present day. It won the Darwin prize in 2024.

Horsetail isn’t the only prehistoric plant still in existence.  Others include Magnolia, moss, many ferns, Gingko, and palm trees. So today, it is still possible to visit these prehistoric beauties for a real-time look at how the world looked in the age of the dinosaurs.