Plant
Wood Horsetail
Equisetum sylvaticumAlso known as Woodland Horsetail, Branching Horsetail
Wood horsetails carpet moist woodland floors with delicate, feathery green fronds that give them a uniquely lacy texture. Their distinctive branches divide a second time and droop gracefully at the tips, distinguishing them from all other northern horsetails. Early in spring, fertile pale stalks emerge first to scatter reproductive spores before giving way to lush vegetative growth.
Spore-BearingWoodlandFern Ally
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preySunlight, Water, Soil Minerals
Predators
- Moose
- Grizzly Bears
- Sawfly Larvae
ThreatsWetland drainage, canopy clearing, and habitat fragmentation
HabitatsMoist boreal forests, damp woodlands, bogs, and stream banks
Life spanPerennial (rhizomes live indefinitely)
Classification
- FamilyEquisetaceae
- SpeciesEquisetum sylvaticum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskHigh
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is high
- Contains thiaminase which breaks down vitamin B1; do not ingest wild plants.
- Why it is dangerous
- Contains thiaminase enzymes that destroy thiamine (vitamin B1), which can cause neurological toxicity in livestock and pets if consumed in quantity.
- How to recognize a risky encounter
- Recognizable by its delicate, twice-divided green whorls that create a drooping, feathery canopy unique among horsetails.
- What to do
- Safe to touch and examine up close, but keep grazing domestic animals away.
Responsible observation
- Identification: Look for delicate side branches that fork a second time and droop at the tips.
- Habitat Spotting: Search in damp, mossy coniferous woods, seeps, and shaded creek margins.
- Seasonal Timing: Watch for pale spore-bearing cones in spring before leafy fronds expand.
Forest Companion No machine-readable author provided. MPF assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY 2.5 · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Sean Vanderluit, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Sean Vanderluit · cc-by
Close Relative Ryan Hodnett / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Eric Verna, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Eric Verna · cc-by-sa
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