| Equisetum giganteum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pteridophyta |
| Class: | Equisetopsida |
| Order: | Equisetales |
| Family: | Equisetaceae |
| Genus: | Equisetum |
| Species: | E. giganteum |
| Binomial name | |
| Equisetum giganteum L. |
|
Equisetum giganteum is a species of horsetail native to South America and Central America, from central Chile east to Brazil and north to southern Mexico.
It is one of the largest horsetails, growing 2-5 m tall, exceeded only by the closely allied E. myriochaetum (which can achieve stem heights of 8 m, although such plants rely on surrounding herbage for support). The stems are the stoutest of any horsetail, 1-2 cm diameter (up to 3.5 cm diameter in some populations), and bear numerous whorls of very slender branches; these branches are not further branched, but some terminate in spore cones. Unlike some other horsetails, it does not have separate photosynthetic sterile and non-photosynthetic spore-bearing stems.
Populations from northern Chile with very stout stems up to 3.5 cm diameter have sometimes been treated as a separate species E. xylochaetum[1], but this is not widely regarded as distinct.
It is a popular ornamental plant in hot regions with a humid climate.