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Taking a Look at Hosetail

Decent Essays

Horsetail is a member of the Equisetum genus, and treats a wide variety of illnesses. The scientific name is Equisetum arvense and Equisetum means horse bristle. It has been used since the ancient Roman and Greek times usually for reducing bleeding in patients. Horsetail is generally found in Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East. It is more abundant and lasts longer in sandy or wet soils. Today, E. arvense is mainly used for kidney and bladder problems, osteoporosis, frail nails, and cuts or burns (Uni. Maryland 2011). Horsetail has two stages fertile (reproductive) and sterile (vegetative), reproduction always comes before the vegetative stage. In spring, a brown stem with a head that looks like a pinecone starts to grow. Later as the fertile stem dies, a green stem with long, slender branches starts to form and lasts until winter, this is the vegetative stage. The branches aren’t evenly distributed amongst the plant, but are found towards the top end of the plant. Its form of reproduction is though spores for the fertile stage and by tubers in the sterile stage (Ohio University). Tubers are similar to roots, they store energy for the new plant, and helps with vegetative reproduction(WiseGEEK). A tuber is the tip of a rhizome which is a stem that is underground. The tuber has an abundance of unused nutrients stored for the next plant. The rhizomes will start to pop up around the plant, and in the fall it will form tubers which is the new plant (Koning 1994).

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