Texas Gardening: Texas Native Plant Pictures ( Aquatic & Bog ), 1 by htop

htop wrote:
Rough Horsetail, Scouring Rush (Equisetum hyemale), Equisetaceaenative Family, perennial, evergreen, has no blooms, wetlands. can be invasive

A great plant for ponds and bogs. It reproduces by spores and spreads by underground rhyzomes. It is found on moist hillsides and peripheries of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, creeks, ponds swamps, floodplains and ditches. It is a living relic from an age millions of years before the dinosaurs existed. All of its relatives have gone extinct except for this genus with a couple dozen species. The evergreen stems are noticeable in winter and can providinig interest in the landscape. Stems have a high silica content and were used by early Americans for polishing pots and pans. It is still harvested commercially in northern Mexico for polishing fine furniture.

For more information, see its entry in the PlantFiles:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/58186/index.html

A close-up view of the Rough Horsetail, Scouring Rush, Dutch Rush (Equisetum hyemale) maturing strobilus ...