Participant Info

Species

Equisetum laevigatum [Equisetum praealtum var. laevigatum] [Equisetum kansanum] [Hippochaete laevigata] [Equisetum fontinale] etc.

Family

Equisetaceae

CommonName

smooth horsetail, smooth scouring brush

Presence

yes

Status

native

EarliestDate

1915

LatestDate

2024

Ecosystem

basin, shrubland, foothill, montane, ruderal, sanddunes

Geobotanical

SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, NCristos, UBasin, LBasin

Counties

Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache, Archuleta

Passes

Cumbres, La Veta

WildlifePreserves

Baca, Great Sand Dunes, Home Lake

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

YES Rich Haswell: Rio Grande Co, by Del Norte irrigation ditch 5 July 2020

Comments

Smooth horsetail is common around the Watershed, growing in mesic habitats from pond and creek sides to meadowy and woodland slopes. It also takes advantage of disturbed soil such as pastures, ditches, and road sides—and seems to tolerate drier conditions than do the other two Watershed horsetails. Equisetum laevigatum is found in both basins and in the montane of all mountain ranges except for the Culebras. It is a New World species, and in the USA is recorded solidly from every region except for the East coast and Deep South. It runs down the Rio Grande drainage of New Mexico and into Texas, where it has been recorded from isolated spots nearly to the Gulf of Mexico.

Annotation