Pteridophyta: Equisetales

Equisetaceae - Horsetail family

Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011) Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature

Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria.

Roux, J.P. (2001) Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13

Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970) Pteridophyta Flora Zambesiaca

Description of the family

Terrestrial perennial plants with creeping subterranean rhizomes, roots borne in whorls at the nodes. Aerial stems erect, green, hollow, jointed, conspicuously ribbed,with whorls of branches at the nodes.the branches themselves also jointed. Leaves reduced to a many-toothed short sheath at each node. Cones (sporangiophores) borne at the ends of the main vegetative stems and rarely the branches too.

Worldwide: 1 genus and c. 15 species worldwide.

DRC: 1 genus and 1 taxon.

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Links to genera: View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

Genus	Content
Equisetum L.	Description

Other sources of information about Equisetaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Equisetaceae
Flora of Burundi: Equisetaceae
Flora of Malawi: Equisetaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Equisetaceae
Flora of Rwanda: Equisetaceae
Flora of Zambia: Equisetaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Equisetaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Equisetaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Equisetaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Equisetaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Equisetaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Equisetaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Equisetaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Equisetaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Equisetaceae
Wikipedia: Equisetaceae
Plants of the World Online: Equisetaceae
Tropicos: Equisetaceae