water horsetail
Equisetum fluviatile
USDA zones4 to 11
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles moist to wet soil
Size2 to 3 feet tall
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer
- Bloom color
- Not applicable
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Water horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile) is a perennial for woodland and meadow gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and moist to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Deer tend to pass it by. Aquatic birds and muskrats eat this plant, and it grows 24 to 36 inches tall.
Pairs well with Obedient plant, Wood lily, and Autumn Brilliance juneberry.
Native range
AK, CT, DC, DE, and 37 more places. See all 41
AK, CT, DC, DE, IA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY; AB, BC, MB, NB, NL, NS, NT, ON, PE, QC, SK, and YT.