horsetail

views updated

horsetail Any of c.30 species of flowerless, rush-like plants allied to ferns, which grow in all continents except Australasia. The hollow jointed stems have a whorl of tiny leaves at each joint. Spores are produced in a cone-like structure at the top of a stem. Horsetails date from the Carboniferous period. Phylum Sphenophyta, genus Equisetum.

More From encyclopedia.com