Equisetum fluviatile
| Equisetum fluviatile | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 4' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Equisetum fluviatile (common name: swamp horsetail)
Propagation: Spores - best collected as soon as they are ripe in the spring and surface-sown immediately on a sterile compost. Keep moist and pot up as soon as the plants are large enough to handle. Very difficult[1].
Division. The plants usually spread very freely when well sited and should not really need any assistance.
Cultivation: Prefers a moist soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.5[1].
Plants are hardy to about -30°c[1].
Plants have a deep and penetrating root system and can be invasive. If grown in the garden they are best kept in bounds by planting them in a large container which can be sunk into the ground[1].
Range: Arctic and temperate regions of Europe, including Britain, N. America and Asia.
Habitat: Shallow water in lakes, ponds and ditches[2].
Edibility: Strobil (the fertile shoots in spring) - cooked[3][4][5]. Used as an asparagus substitute, though it is neither palatable nor nutritious[4]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Roots - cooked[4][5][6]. The roots contain a nutritious starch[3]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal: Horsetails have an unusual chemistry compared to most other plants[7]. They are rich in silica, contain several alkaloids (including nicotine) and various minerals[7]. The plant is styptic[8]. The barren stems are used, they are most active when fresh but can also be dried and sometimes the ashes of the plant are used[4]. A decoction applied externally will stop the bleeding of wounds and promote healing[4].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Mid Summer
Known Hazards: Large quantities of the plant can be toxic. This is because it contains the enzyme thiaminase[9], a substance that can rob the body of the vitamin B complex[10]. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is r
Also Known As: E. heliocharis. E. limosum.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.