Equisetum sylvaticum

Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Browse Photos

Family:	Equisetaceae
Species:	Equisetum sylvaticum L.
Common Name:	wood horsetail
Habitat:	Swamps, wet forests, banks of small streams, rich fens, and seepages. Usually an understory plant in slightly open swamps growing both on hummocks and in hollows. It prefers sites with calcareous or somewhat rich soils but is not completely limited to these conditions.
Associated Ecological Communities:	**
Growth Habit:	Fern
Duration:	Perennial
Category:	Vascular
Plant Notes:	**
Taxonomic Notes:	**
Status:	Native, FACW (NCNE), FACW (EMP), S5 (State Rank), G5 (Global Rank), CoC: 7
References:	**

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

Supraordinal	Ferns
Order	Equisetales
Family	Equisetaceae
Genus	Equisetum
Species	Equisetum sylvaticum L. - wood horsetail

Citation

Citation	Equisetum sylvaticum L.
Basionym:	**
Type:	**

** Not applicable or data not available.

Source

County	Year	Herbaria	Notes	Submission Info
Albany	1992	NYS Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Albany		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Albany	1989	NYS Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Broome		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Broome	1953	BH Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum	Werier (2017) voucher!; S.J. Smith & E.C. Ogden 13552	3/6/2018 - David Werier
Broome	2006	BING Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		1/18/2020 - BING (Julian Shepherd)
Broome	2005	BING Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		1/18/2020 - BING (Julian Shepherd)
Broome		BING Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		1/18/2020 - BING (Julian Shepherd)
Broome	1962	BING Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		1/18/2020 - BING (Julian Shepherd)
Broome	1964	BING Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		1/18/2020 - BING (Julian Shepherd)
Cattaraugus		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Cayuga		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Chautauqua	1993	NYS Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Chautauqua	1994	NYS Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Chemung		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Chemung	1879	BKL – BKL00029498 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
Chenango	1995	SUCO – 002339 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		11/25/2023 - Connie Tedesco
Clinton		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Columbia		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Cortland		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Delaware		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Erie		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Essex		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Franklin	1988	NYS Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Franklin		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Fulton	2007	NYS – 19 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		12/22/2009 - Donna Vogler
Fulton	2007	FMCC – 19 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		12/22/2009 - Donna Vogler
Fulton	1899	BKL – BKL00029488 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
Genesee		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Greene	1990	NYS Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Greene	1991	NYS Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Greene	1932	BKL – BKL00029482 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
Hamilton		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Herkimer	1904	BKL – BKL00029486 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
Jefferson		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Lewis		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Livingston		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Monroe		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Montgomery	2005	SUCO Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum	Town of Florida
Montgomery	2006	SUCO Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum	Town of Root
Oneida		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Onondaga		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Onondaga	1942	RCFS – accession # 11245 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		11/17/2009 - RCFS (Andy Nelson)
Ontario		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Orange	1993	BKL – BKL00029481 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
Orange	1992	NYS Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Orange	1990	NYS Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Oswego		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Otsego	2005	SUCO Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum	Town of Middlefield
Otsego		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Rensselaer	1997	NYS Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Rensselaer		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Rensselaer	1864	BKL – BKL00027434 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
Rockland		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Rockland	2001	BKL – BKL00019336 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
Saratoga	2016	NYS Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum	29 Jun 2016, J. Donnelly s.n.	5/4/2022 - Steve Young
Schenectady	1940	NYS Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum	collector: T. Baim	3/28/2025 - Steve Young
Schenectady	1946	NYS Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum	collector: T. Baim	3/28/2025 - Steve Young
Schenectady	1950	NYS Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum	collector: T. Baim	3/28/2025 - Steve Young
Schenectady	1977	NYS Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum	collector: T. Baim	3/28/2025 - Steve Young
Schenectady	1923	BKL – BKL00029489 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
Schenectady		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Schoharie		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
St. Lawrence		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
St. Lawrence	1914	BKL – BKL00029487 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
St. Lawrence	1991	ESF Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum		Anne Johnson
St. Lawrence	2004	BH Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum		Anne Johnson
Steuben		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Suffolk	1928	BKL – BKL00027445 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
Suffolk		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Sullivan		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Tioga		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Tioga	1899	BKL – BKL00029485 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
Tompkins		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Tompkins	1899	BKL – BKL00029426 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
Ulster	1997	NYS Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Ulster		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Warren	1896	BKL – BKL00029484 Herbarium Name Used: Equisetum sylvaticum		2/8/2012 - BKL (Steve Glenn)
Washington		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Westchester		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Westchester	1973	OBPF – Log_num: 9827 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum
Yates		NYFA_1990 Herbarium Name Used: none Equisetum sylvaticum

Synonyms

Synonym	Full Citation	Basionym	Type	Notes
Equisetum sylvaticum var. multiramosum	Equisetum sylvaticum L. var. multiramosum (Fernald) Wherry
Equisetum sylvaticum var. pauciramosum	Equisetum sylvaticum L. var. pauciramosum Milde

Listed Status: New York

Listed Status:	(New York): Rare plants are protected under New York State Environmental Conservation Law section 9-1503. Part (f) which reads as follows: "It is a violation for any person, anywhere in the state to pick, pluck, sever, remove, damage by the application of herbicides or defoliants, or carry away, without the consent of the owner, any protected plant. Each protected plant so picked, plucked, severed, removed, damaged or carried away shall constitute a separate violation." At this time, the Atlas only identifies those species listed as threatened or endangered.
Endangered: 5 or fewer extant sites, or fewer than 1,000 individuals, or restricted to fewer than 4 U.S.G.S. 7 1/2 minute topographical maps, or species listed as endangered by the U. S. Department of Interior, as enumerated in the Code of Federal Regulations 50 CFR 17.11.
Threatened: 6 to fewer than 20 extant sites, or 1,000 to fewer than 3,000 individuals, or restricted to not less than 4 or more than 7 U.S.G.S. 7 1/2 minute topographical maps, or listed as threatened by the U. S. Department of the Interior, as enumerated in the Code of Federal Regulations 50 CFR 17.11.
Rare: 20 to 35 extant sites, or 3,000 to 5,000 individuals statewide.
Exploitably vulnerable:	species which are likely to become threatened in the near future throughout all or a significant portion of their range within the state if causal factors continue unchecked.

Listed Status: US

Listed Status: US	(U.S.) Source - List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Endangered:	Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Threatened:	Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

WAP: Wetland AssessmentProcedure

Wetland Assessment Procedure (WAP): Source - Southwest Florida Water Management District, Wetland Assessment Procedure Instruction Manual for Isolated Wetlands (March 2005).

AD:	Adaptive Species. Plant species designated as FAC or Upland by DEP, but commonly seen in the transition zone in limited numbers.
D:	Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the deep zone, and designated either FAC or OBL by DEP.
OD:	Outer Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the outer deep zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
T:	Transition Species. Plant species commonly found in the transition zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
U:	Upland Species. Plant species that are not expected to be seen in wetlands.

ANY - WAP critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with WAP designations
No - Show results without WAP designations

EPPC: Exotic Pest Plant Council

EPPC:

Source - Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council's 2007 List of Florida's Most Invasive Species

Category I - Species that are invading and disrupting native plant communities in Florida. This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused.

Category II - Species that have shown a potential to disrupt native plant communities. These species may become ranked as Category I, but have not yet demonstrated disruption of natural Florida communities.

DEP: Department of Environmental Protection

Wetland Status, Department of Environmental Regulation (DEP): Source - Delineation of the Landward Extent of Wetlands and Surface Waters, Chapter 62-340, Florida Administrative Code. 1994.

OBL:	Obligate wetland. Occurs almost always under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally found in non-wetlands
FAC:	Facultative. equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands.

NWPL: National Wetland Plant List

National Wetland Plant List (NWPL): Source - Lichvar, R.W., M. Butterwick, N.C. Melvin, and W.N. Kirchner. 2014. The National Wetland Plant List: 2014 Update of Wetland Ratings. Phytoneuron 2014-41: 1-42.

OBL:	Obligate Wetland. Occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in non-wetlands.
FAC:	Facultative. Equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (estimated probability 34%-66%).
FACU:	Facultative Upland. Usually occurs in non-wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in wetlands (estimated probability 1%-33%).
UPL:	Obligate Upland. Occurs in wetlands in another region, but occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in non-wetlands in the regions specified.

NWPL: National Wetland Plant List (NCNE and EMP Regions)

National Wetland Plant List (NWPL): Source - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2020. National Wetland Plant List, version 3.5 https://wetland-plants.sec.usace.army.mil/nwpl_static/v34/home/home.html U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, NH.

Indicator status rating definitions according to Lichvar et al. 2012.

OBL:	Obligate Wetland Plants - almost always occur in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland Plants - usually occur in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands.
FAC:	Facultative Plants - occur in wetlands and non-wetlands.
FACU:	Facultative Upland Plants - usually occur in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands.
UPL:	Upland Plants - almost always occur in uplands.

Wetland indicator status ratings are provided for each of the two regions that exist in NY, the Northcentral and Northeast Region (NCNE) and the Eastern Mountains and Piedmont Region (EMP). See the Atlas guide for further details.

NWPL: National Wetland Plant List (NCNE and EMP Regions)

Indicator status rating definitions according to Lichvar et al. 2012.

OBL:	Obligate Wetland Plants - almost always occur in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland Plants - usually occur in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands.
FAC:	Facultative Plants - occur in wetlands and non-wetlands.
FACU:	Facultative Upland Plants - usually occur in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands.
UPL:	Upland Plants - almost always occur in uplands.

Persisting

Identifying species that appear as waifs or only periodically appear in the flora for a few seasons.

Any - Persisting critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with a Persisting value of Y
No - Show results without Persisting value of N

Duration

Annual:	Plants that perform their entire lifecycle within a single growing season. All roots, stems, and leaves die at the end of the growing season. Over wintering seeds allow the next generation to appear.
Biennial:	A plant that is typically vegetative its first year and blooms the following season. Once it has bloomed and set seed, the plant dies. Garlic mustard is an example of a biennial.
Perennial:	These plants live for three or more seasons. Many perennials may not be mature enough to bloom during its first year. Perennial wildflowers re-grow each season from overwinter root material.

Category

Vascular:	Any of various plants that have the vascular tissues xylem and phloem. The vascular plants include all seed-bearing plants (the gymnosperms and angiosperms) and the pteridophytes (including the ferns, lycophytes, and horsetails). Also called tracheophyte.
Bryophyte:	A large group of seedless green plants including the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Bryophytes lack the specialized tissues xylem and phloem that circulate water and dissolved nutrients in the vascular plants. Bryophytes generally live on land but are mostly found in moist environments, for they have free-swimming sperm that require water for transport. In contrast to the vascular plants, the gametophyte (haploid) generation of bryophytes constitutes the larger plant form, while the small sporophyte (diploid) generation grows on or within the gametophyte and depends upon it for nutrition.
Lichen:	The mutualistic symbiotic association of a fungus with an alga or a cyanobacterium, or both. The fungal component of a lichen absorbs water and nutrients from the surroundings and provides a suitable environment for the alga or cyanobacterium. These live protected among the dense fungal hyphae and produce carbohydrates for the fungus by photosynthesis. Owing to this partnership, lichens can thrive in harsh environments such as mountaintops and polar regions. The more familiar lichens grow slowly as crusty patches, but lichens are found in a variety of forms, such as the tall, plantlike reindeer moss. The association between the different organisms in a lichen is so close that lichens are routinely referred to as a single organism, and scientists classify lichens using the name of the fungal component.

(Definitions from: American Heritage Science Dictionary)

Growth Habit

Intro paragraph to be provided by New York.

Vine:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Shrub:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Tree:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Et cetera:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.

State Rank

This numeric rank provides the relative rarity for each species based on a scale from 1 (very rare) to 5 (common). These ranks carry no legal status.

S1 - Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in New York State.
S2 - Typically 6 to 20 occurrences, few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable in New York State.
S3 - Typically 21 to 100 occurrences, limited acreage, or miles of stream in New York State.
S4 - Apparently secure in New York State.
S5 - Demonstrably secure in New York State.
SE - State exotic or non-native
SH - Historically known from New York State, but not seen in the past 15 years.
SNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. This is mainly those species which are now excluded from flora for various reasons.
SNR - Not yet ranked
SX - Apparently extirpated from New York State.

Global Rank

Each species' global rank is determined by NatureServe. These ranks carry no legal weight. The global rank reflects the species worldwide rarity.

G1 - Critically Imperiled — At very high risk of extinction or elimination due to very restricted range, very few populations or occurrences, very steep declines, very severe threats, or other factors.
G2 - Imperiled — At high risk of extinction or elimination due to restricted range, few populations or occurrences, steep declines, severe threats, or other factors.
G3 - Vulnerable — At moderate risk of extinction or elimination due to a fairly restricted range, relatively few populations or occurrences, recent and widespread declines, threats, or other factors.
G4 - Apparently Secure — At fairly low risk of extinction or elimination due to an extensive range and/or many populations or occurrences, but with possible cause for some concern as a result of local recent declines, threats, or other factors.
G5 - Secure — At very low risk of extinction or elimination due to a very extensive range, abundant populations or occurrences, and little to no concern from declines or threats.
GH - Possibly Extinct — Known from only historical occurrences but still some hope of rediscovery. Examples of evidence include (1) that a species has not been documented in approximately 20-40 years despite some searching and/or some evidence of significant habitat loss or degradation; (2) that a species has been searched for unsuccessfully, but not thoroughly enough to presume that it is extinct or eliminated throughout its range.
GNA - Not Applicable — A conservation status rank is not applicable because the species is not a suitable target for conservation activities. A global conservation status rank may be not applicable for several reasons, related to its relevance as a conservation target. Typically the species is a hybrid without conservation value, or of domestic origin.
GNR - Global rank not yet assessed.
GX - Presumed Extinct — Not located despite intensive searches and virtually no likelihood of rediscovery.

Filter by County - Counties to Include - ANY versus ALL

Any - An Any search will combine the list of counties to include with a Boolean Or. Plant species returned will be found within at least one of the selected counties.
All - An All search will combine the list of counties to include with a Boolean And. Plant species returned will be found within each of the selected counties.

Filter by County - Counties to Exclude - ANY versus ALL

Any - An Any search will combine the list of counties to exclude with a Boolean Or. Plant species returned will not be found within at least one of the selected counties.
All - An All search will combine the list of counties to exclude with a Boolean And. Plant species returned will not be found within any of the selected counties.

Associated Ecological Communities

View a List of All Ecological Communities

For more information, contact: David Werier or Kyle Webster

Web Development: USF Water Institute

A member of the University of South Florida family of PlantAtlas.org sites

Citation Information:

Werier, David, Kyle Webster, Troy Weldy, Andrew Nelson, Richard Mitchell†, and Robert Ingalls†. 2025 New York Flora Atlas. [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (original application development), USF Water Institute. University of South Florida]. New York Flora Association, Albany, New York.

Search Help

Select the criterion by which you wish to search (Scientific name, Genus, Family, etc.) and enter that information into the provided field.

Hint: Correct spelling is necessary for desired results, but because this function is a string search the full name need not be entered. Any correct part of a taxon name can be entered and a choice of the correct one made from the small list of resulting matches.

For example, matching the full name exactly in a Scientific Name search for Piptochaetium avenacioides may be difficult, but strings of either tium aven or avenaci or m avenac or pipto will all result in very small lists of matches. The intended name can then be chosen from any of those lists. Usually, the last letter (or two) of a given genus, a space, and the first few correct letters of the specific epithet will provide a sufficiently short list containing the desired taxon.

A similar example in a Common Name search is Virginia snakeroot. Searching using "snake root" will yield no results due to the extra space, but searching "snake" will generate a short list of plants with the word "snake" in the common name. Furthermore, a search of "Virginia snake" or even "nia snak" yields one result: Virginia snakeroot.

If, after following the above advice, then difficulties are still encountered please use the "browse" feature.

Definition: Vouchered Specimen

A voucher specimen is a pressed and thoroughly dried plant sample deposited in a herbarium, and is intended to be a permanent record supporting research purposes. A voucher may be a record of a plant's occurrence in a particular area, or a specific example of a plant used in a scientific investigation.

Proper vouchers display all the necessary attributes for complete identification of the plant, and are to be accompanied by accurate locality, habitat, collection time, and collector data.

Only plant populations vouchered by specimens deposited in Index Herbariorum (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/) recognized herbaria are represented on this map.

Equisetum sylvaticum

Related Links

Classification

Citation

Source

Synonyms