Great Horsetail
Equisetum telmateia
Also listed as Equisetum caenosum, Equisetum eburneum
Also known as Giant Horsetail, Northern Giant Horsetail
Climate Match for your location
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Great horsetail is a tall, bamboo-like perennial with jointed stems and whorled branches, thriving in wet or boggy conditions. It is prized for its architectural foliage but can be invasive and is best contained in water gardens or specialized plantings.
Why grow it
Great horsetail grows taller and more robust than most Equisetum species, reaching 3-4 feet, making it suitable for large-scale wetland plantings or pond margins where dramatic vertical texture is desired. Its rapid growth and dense branching provide more substantial screening and architectural impact than smaller horsetail varieties in consistently wet sites.
Watch out for
This species spreads vigorously via underground rhizomes even in contained water gardens, so regular monitoring and removal of escaped shoots beyond intended boundaries is necessary. In drier conditions, growth becomes weaker and more prone to aesthetic decline, so it performs poorly outside genuinely wet habitats.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Equisetaceae
Native to the United States
Native Range
Europe, western Asia, and North Africa
Native to: California, Idaho, Michigan, Oregon, Washington
Seasonality
Season of Interest
Herb
Soft non-woody plants of the field layer.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Propagation
Great horsetail is a tall, bamboo-like perennial with jointed stems and whorled branches, thriving in wet or boggy conditions. It is prized for its architectural foliage but can be invasive and is best contained in water gardens or specialized plantings.
Climate Match for your location
See how well Great Horsetail grows in your area.
Enter your ZIP code and we'll show you how this plant fits your local climate.
Why grow it
Great horsetail grows taller and more robust than most Equisetum species, reaching 3-4 feet, making it suitable for large-scale wetland plantings or pond margins where dramatic vertical texture is desired. Its rapid growth and dense branching provide more substantial screening and architectural impact than smaller horsetail varieties in consistently wet sites.
Watch out for
This species spreads vigorously via underground rhizomes even in contained water gardens, so regular monitoring and removal of escaped shoots beyond intended boundaries is necessary. In drier conditions, growth becomes weaker and more prone to aesthetic decline, so it performs poorly outside genuinely wet habitats.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Equisetaceae
Native to the United States
Native Range
Europe, western Asia, and North Africa
Native to: California, Idaho, Michigan, Oregon, Washington
Seasonality
Season of Interest
Herb
Soft non-woody plants of the field layer.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Propagation
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