scouringrush

Scouring Rush

Equisetum hyemale L.

Equisetaceae - Horsetail Family

▲ in urban flower bed in Louisville, KY

▲ plants in moist field in Nebraska

▲ emerging plants in southeast Missouri

Scouringrush:

Has bright green, mostly unbranched stems growing 6-36 inches tall or more, with dark bands between segments of the stem
Stems are evergreen
Found almost exclusively in moist or wet soils along streams, ponds, roadsides
Contains neurotoxins that are poisonous to grazing animals--usually not consumed, unless in hay