I was walking past this patch of horsetails, and I was struck by the beauty of the structure on top that resembles a pineapple. It looked to so regal resting inside this black and white crown at the end of a slender, green stalk. This is where it produces spores for reproduction. Its stiff stalk is covered with small, abrasive grains of silica. As its common name suggests, it makes a good tool for scouring. This is such a unique and fascinating plant.
I enjoyed Daniel Mathews opening paragraph about horsetail in his book Cascade-Olympic Natural History: “Long ignored for being too primitive, common, and monochromatic, horsetails won their hour of media glory for sending the first green shoots up through Mt. St. Helen’s debris of May, 1980. They can crack their way through an inch of asphalt on highway shoulders. No wonder Quileute swimmers felt strong after scrubbing themselves with horsetails! And some Northwest gardeners feel weak after weeding them.”
