Equisetum hyemale Rough Horsetail

An evergreen horsetail with tough, scrabrid, unbranched stems which produce pointed cones at their tips. Although it grows quite slowly, once established it can form large, long-lived, invasive stands which arise from an extensive branching rhizome. It usually grows in damp shady places along streams and rivers but it also occurs on sand dunes. It is mostly a northern species with a scattered, local distribution in Britain and it is uncommon in Wales. In some places it may originate from garden throw-outs. There is a large population on Crymlyn Borrows where it has been known for over 50 years.

Native