WHAT A “MARE”?

What do you think the above is?

We at JKL are often asked to advise on the control of the weed, Mare's-tail, causing problems in cultivated land, residential gardens, public streets, driveways and the list goes on.

Mare's-tail is ?in fact an aquatic weed, Hippuris vulgaris, which is commonly found in ponds or slow flowing streams.

Mare's tail or Horsetail?

When investigated ?by JKL Surveying team, the ?problem invariably turns out to be a similar shaped weed known as “Horsetail” (Equisetum Arvense) which is identified within a group of about thirty ?different species and ?that are found all over the world (except in Australasia and the Antarctic)?these ?species can be found in a variety of situations from wet boggy marshland (Marsh Horsetail Equisetum palustre) to cultivated dry land and urban settings (Field Horsetail Equisetum arvense).

Why is there such confusion with these two different plants?

It may well be that Horsetail, a non-flowering plant related to the fern family, does not usually appear in wildflower books whereas Mare's Tail does produce flowers and is often featured.?

Hippuris Vulgaris is available at most garden centres and can be found in Domestic, Urban and Industrial locations throughout the UK.

Fun Facts

The Latin name Equisetum is derived from equus, meaning horse and seta which translates as bristle or hair.

Horsetail species are all descendants of a group of ancient tree-like plants that thrived 300 million years ago during the Carboniferous period of pre-history.

Evidence via discovered fossils, show that some of these ancestors reached over thirty metres in height.

Not so fun fact

Can be highly poisonous to horses if consumed within dried hay, also Marsh horsetail (Equisetum Palustre) is poisonous to herbivorous animals so both species are considered toxic to Horses.

What's in the picture?

So given this information - what do you think is in the picture; Mare's Tail or Horsetail?