About Equisetum praealtum Raf.
Equisetum praealtum Raf. is an evergreen herbaceous perennial plant with green stems, and each stem is usually topped by a spore-bearing strobilus. Stems emerge in late spring and die back after one and a half to two years. They typically reach 18–150 cm (7.1–59.1 in) in height, occasionally growing as tall as 220 cm (87 in), and measure 6–18 mm (0.24–0.71 in) in diameter. Stems are usually unbranched, with 14–50 ridges along their surface, and bear whorls of blackish bracts. Young stems grow in spring, and develop an apical spore-bearing strobilus in summer; sometimes during the second year, stems will produce a small number of side branches, each tipped with an additional strobilus. This species spreads via rhizomes, which form clonal colonies. It grows in wet habitats, including roadside ditches, riverbanks, lake shores, and wet woodlands.
