Equisetaceae

Wood horsetail

Equisetum sylvaticum L.

Family: Equisetaceae
Genus: Equisetum

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Wood horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum) — LeavesPhoto: Jo Roberts, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (30)

Arabic: كنباث حرجي
arz: كنباث حرجى
Belarusian: Хвошч лясны, Зялезнік, Хвошч лесавы
Bulgarian: Горски хвощ
Catalan: Prêle des bois
Chinese: 林木賊, 林木贼, 林问荆, 问荆
Czech: Přeslička lesní
Danish: Skov-Padderok
Dutch: Bospaardenstaart, Bospaardestaart
English: Wood horsetail, Woodland horsetail
Estonian: Metsosi
Finnish: Metsäkorte
French: Prêle des bois
German: Wald-Schachtelhalm, Prêle des bois, Waldschachtelhalm
Hungarian: Erdei zsurló
Icelandic: Skógelfting
Irish: Scuab eich choille
Japanese: フサスギナ
Lithuanian: Miškinis asiūklis, Prêle des bois
Macedonian: Дрвенесто коњско опавче
Norwegian Bokmål: Skogsnelle
Polish: Skrzyp leśny
Russian: Хвощ лесной
Slovenian: Gozdna preslica
Spanish: Cola de Caballo de Bosque
Swedish: Skogsfräken, Enfötinggräs, Grangräs, Prêle des bois
udm: Шылан
Ukrainian: Хвощ лісовий
vep: Kiz'uhein
Welsh: Marchrawnen y coed

Synonyms

Allostelites sylvaticum (L.) Börner
Equisetum abietinum Flörke ex Milde
Equisetum capillare Hoffm.
Equisetum curvifolium Flörke ex Milde
Equisetum opbraculense Hoorebeke
Equisetum silvaticum var. squarrosum A.A.Eaton
Equisetum sylvaticum f. capillare (Milde) Luerss.
Equisetum sylvaticum f. gracile Luerss.
Equisetum sylvaticum f. multiramosum Fernald
Equisetum sylvaticum f. neoserotinum Vict.
Equisetum sylvaticum f. opsistachyum Lepage
Equisetum sylvaticum f. polystachyum (Milde) Luerss.
Equisetum sylvaticum f. praecox (Milde) Luerss.
Equisetum sylvaticum f. pyramidale (Milde) Luerss.
Equisetum sylvaticum f. serotinum (Milde) Luerss.
Equisetum sylvaticum f. serum Lepage
Equisetum sylvaticum f. sylvaticum
Equisetum sylvaticum f. tardatum Lepage
Equisetum sylvaticum var. capillare (Hoffm.) Rupr.
Equisetum sylvaticum var. multiramosum (Fernald) Wherry
Equisetum sylvaticum var. polystachyum Milde
Equisetum sylvaticum var. praecox Milde
Equisetum sylvaticum var. procumbens Gray
Equisetum sylvaticum var. pyramidale Milde
Equisetum sylvaticum var. robustum Milde
Equisetum sylvaticum var. serotinum Milde
Equisetum sylvaticum var. squarrosum A.A.Eaton
Equisetum sylvaticum var. sylvaticum
Presla sylvatica (L.) Dulac

Flowers

Flower colour: green (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Alaska: native, Canada: native, Greenland: native, Lower 48 states: native, St. Pierre and Miquelon: native

Toxicity: Moderate, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.

Photos

LeavesPhoto: Jo Roberts, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Timothy McNitt, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Franz Xaver, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Iryna Kritsak, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bar Sieb, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Татьяна Фирсова, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: nashoba492, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Paul Prior, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Trachemys, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Equisetum

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.