![]() ![]() Scout a field for beginning establishment or infestations of horsetail or scouring rush. Improving drainage in the area can also be helpful. Other control options that have met with some success include use of inorganic mulches and weed barrier fabrics. Because horsetail does not respond to nitrogen fertilization and wants sunlight, its growth can be suppressed through the use of a fertility program and competitive cover crops. Control MethodsĬontrol of horsetail and scouring rush is similar, so this document will focus on horsetail management. Although it is considered a wetland plant, it can also be found in drier areas. Field horsetail thrives in acidic, poorly drained sandy or gravelly soils and full sun. Scouring rush also seems to encroach into more drier sections of agriculture fields, this may be due to a higher water table or underground moisture in those zones.Īll horsetail species are considered toxic to livestock (particularly horses), but are low in palatability and rarely eaten unless fed with hay. Instead, the stems of scouring rush are all fertile and resemble the fertile stems of horsetail except that they are green and have two black bands at their joints. hyemale)-although scouring rush differs in that it does not have the two different stem types. Field horsetail can also be confused with the related scouring rush ( E. telmateia) is similar to field horsetail but is taller and more robust, with sporebearing cones that are 4 inches long compared to the 1 ½-inch-long cones of field horsetail. Fleshy tubers arranged at joints of the deep-penetrating rhizomatous root system store energy reserves (carbohydrates) and provide the plant with a remarkable regenerative capacity. For reproduction, it relies heavily on its extensive, creeping root system and to a lesser extent on spore production. Field horsetail does not produce flowers or seeds. The vegetative stems die back with the first hard frost. The stems and branches of horsetail have high silica deposits, making them abrasive and explaining their use by early Americans as scouring pads. These more numerous sterile stems grow to 2 feet tall and produce whorls of fine green branches (modified leaves) that form at stem joints to create bushy plants that resemble miniature pine trees. ![]() These reproductive stems die back shortly after shedding their spores, during which time the second stem type-vegetative-begins to emerge. First to emerge (early spring) are light brown fertile stems that are unbranched, leafless, and stand about a foot tall with terminal spore-bearing cones (resembling asparagus sprouts). It is unique in that it has two types of stems and growth habits. Your browser does not support the audio element.Horsetail is a perennial plant that grows from underground tuber-bearing rootstocks. Listen to a recorded reading of this page:.Take a ten question quiz about this page.Mosses tend to grow in damp areas with plenty of shade.There are over 12,000 different species of mosses.This helps conifers to survive in cold, windy, and dry climates. Needles are tough, don't dry out, and will not easily fall off in high winds. Conifers often have needle shaped leaves.Scientists estimate that some species of ferns have been around for over 350 million years.Interesting Facts about Non-Flowering Plants At some point the casings dry out and the spores are released into the air. Ferns produce spore casings on the underside of their leaves. They also don't have typical roots like most plants, but anchor themselves to rocks and soil with short growths called rhizoids.Īnother type of spore producing plant is the fern. Mosses don't have flowers or seeds, but use spores to reproduce. Mosses are soft and spongy plants that typically only grow a few inches tall. Because they are so small and light, they can be dispersed by the wind to new locations where they can grow. Plants that make spores produce huge numbers of them. Spores are tiny organisms that usually contain only a single cell. Spore producing plants include plants such as mosses and ferns. There are some non-flowering plants that don't produce seeds. When they are released by the cone, they will float on the wind until they reach the ground where they will germinate and grow. The hard scales of the cone protect the new seeds as they grow. If the pollen lands on a female cone, then the female cone will produce seeds. Conifers are woody plants and most of them are trees such as pine trees, firs, cypresses, junipers, cedars, and redwoods.Ĭonifers reproduce using their cones. The word "conifers" means "bearing cones." Conifers are plants that use cones to house their seeds. One of the major groups of gymnosperm plants is the conifer. They are called this because their seeds are open to the air with no covering such as the seeds of flowering plants. ![]()
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