EQUISETUM HYEMALE. ROUGH HORSE-TAIL
OR SHAYE-GRASS.
EQUISETUM hyemale; caulibus simplicibus erectis scaberrimis apice spiciferis, vaginis discoloribus
basi apiceque sphacel'atis, dentibus aristatis omnino caducis. TV.
EQUISETUM hyemak. Linn. Sp. P I p . 1517. Huis. 448. Light/. Scot. p. 650. Zlh' M M ml; 3‘ r • 740' m Dan■ *■>409' Hoffm.Germ. cd. I. ml. 3.
K l m iw 5 ' P' 8' m m B r it - P - 1105. Engl. Bot. t. 9 \5
17S' nDeca"!1- El. F r . e i .3 . ml. 3 . p .5 80. FI. Gall. Sun. p. 118.
IVahl. FI. Lapp. p. 299. Alton Hort. Kew. ed. 2. ml. 5. p. 492. Pursk FI Amer
Sspt.p. 653. Hook. FI. Scot. P . II. p. 16 l . Iceland t o j r , m l 3 . p. 336.
EQUISETUM caule subnudoasperrimo, vaginis caulinis indivisis, raoiis ciliatis. Hall. Helv. n. 1 679
EQUISETUM nudum. Naked Horsetail. Rail Syn.p. 1 3 !. t. 5. / . 2 .
^ N o rw .'X S e . “p L Fr- La Prclc dhiver. Germ. Dor Sehaehtelhalur.
Class and Ord e r . CRYPTOGAMIA GONOPTERIDES, Wind. CRYPTOGAMIA
FILICES, Linn.
[Natoral Ob d e r . EQUISETACEiE, Rich., Decand'Z'Hook. FILICES, .Jus,.]
Gen. Char. Receplacula peltata, plana, polygons, spicata, subtus Indmiis quatuor ad seplem comiculatis
dauas, tandem longrtudinaliter rumpentibus, et fructificationes occultantibus, obsita. S tam iZ quatuor Ger
men ovatum. stylus nullus. Semen unicum. TV. 4 cre7
Gen. Char Receptacles peltate, plane, polygonous, spiked, beneath having from four to seven rinsed
cormculated Inmlucres; a t length longitudinally bursting, covering the' fructifications. Stamens four. & r -
men ovate. Style none. Seed single.
Radix (vel Caudex subterraneus) longe repens, nigra,
articulata, sulcata, densissime fibroso-tomeutosa.
Caules plures ex eadem radice, sesquipedales et ultra,
simplicissimi, erecti, teretes, nudi, glauco-
virides, rigidi, fistulosi, articulati, sulcati, sulcis j
asperis, inter sulcos lineis elevatis transversim car- !
tilagineo-verruculatis scabratis: Articuli longi,
• superne vaginantes: Vaginas cylindraceas, ni-
grse, basin versus annulo pallide fusco vix albo,
apice suboctodentato, dentibus subulatis cito de- 1
ciduis, et tunc vaginte obtusissime crenatse; inferiores
omnino nigrte.
SwCaI (seu Amentum) solitaria, terminalis, subsessilis,
oblongo-ovata, parva, primum nigra demum
fusca, e squamis numerosis peltatis, polygonis,
pedicellatis constans.
Involuciia plerumque quinque, sub pelta affixa, pen-
dentia, intus dehiseentia.
Semina (?) numerosa, fusco-viridia, sphterica, filamentis
quatuor apice incrassatis granuliferis, priuaum
circa semen arete convolutis, demum elastice se
exporrigentibus, instructa.
Root (or subterranean Stem) creeping for a great length
black, jointed, furrowed, tbicklv covered with
downy fibres.
Stems many from the same root, a foot and-half and
upwards in height, quite simple, erect, rounded,
naked, o f a glaucous green, rigid, hollow, jointed,
furrowed, the furrows rough, between the furrows
having transverse elevated lines studded
with cartilaginous warts : Joints long, sheathed
above : Sheaths cylindrical, black, having round
their base a pale brown almost white ring, their
points cut into about eight teeth, the teeth awl-
shaped, soon falling off, and leaving the sheaths
bluntly crenate ; the lowest ones wholly black.
Spike (or Calkin) solitary, terminal, nearly sessile, of
an oblong-ovate form, small, first black subsequently
brown, consisting of numerous peltate,
many-sided, pedicellate scales.
Involucres commonly five, fixed beneath the scale,
pendent, bursting internally.
Seeds(?) numerous, dark green, spherical,furnished with
four filaments which are granuliferous, thickened
at the points, at first closely rolled round the
seed, then throwing themselves off with an elastic
force.
IS 'W l spiral filaments!* ^H^.^f'sTngiese^,^ithl°tT!filamtaits ^as^at^ ^
spirally twisted. Fig. 5. Seed with its granule-bearing filaments untwisted -.—all more or less magnified. ^
havin! i °f H sPec,es of Equisetum presents a curious appearance when viewed thrn.mh th« &
having the elevated lines, which form the spaces between the furrows m a r k ^ the lllcr°scope,
glass-like warts, rough to the T ,, . , Iul.rows> marked with tiansverse, prominent, r g d,
Humphry Davy first f i M W IS. 1 quantity of siliceous earth ivhich Sir
T ? “ 1 cl«a° thei,r milk-pails with the stems of the Rough Horsetail
ilWatedanimiuin lceUd^ It seems howeverTo“? ^ ST Which is I S else with the that the teeth of the cows S S ’ I B ^ “ .ascertained, that, while to sheep it proves injurious,
to it in the rough nn«nry J*ls.ll.nct fr01? the other native Equiseta of Britain ; the rare E. mriegatum is similar
■»I. « o r a i n g t L U ’w S X r S h T n l ' e s S a t S T jeU°W-«reen 9lant- with stems -a ch S-anched below,