Posted: 18/06/2012 at 09:04
Horsetail and Marestail are two different plants. Marestail (Hippuris vulgaris) is an unbranched erect perennial classed as a flowering plant found mainly submerged in streams. It bears small pink flowers (male and female separate) that have no petals between June and July. They reproduce by means of a small greenish nut.
Horsetail (Equisetum arvensis) however is classed as a vascular plant that reproduces by means of spores not seed. The plant is toxic to sheep, cattle and horses if eaten green or dried in hay. It thrives in wet meadows and gardens. They are known as 'living fossils' as they are the only survivor of plants living on earth over 100 million years ago. Some as tall as 30 metres.
