木賊
Equisetum hyemale L.
fig.1: Equisetum hyemale specimen, made by 宋穎萱 in 2023.5
木賊
Scientific name: Equisetum hyemale L.
Family: Equisetaceae
Common name: rough horsetail
Chinese common name: 木賊、筆頭草
fig.2 Equisetum hyemale, taken by 宋穎萱 in 中山大學
Description
1. Basic description:
Perennial herbaceous ferns
Able to reproduce vegetatively through underground stems (asexual)
Habitat: wetlands, riverine
Origin: North America, Europe, and northern Asia.
Medicinal: anti-inflammatory and hemostatic, hepatitis, cough, bronchitis
Distributed: Below 2,000 meters in Taiwan, thrive in moist places.
2. Morphology
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Root: adventitious roots (slender, fibrous)
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Stem: Rhizome erect, stems are rough and contain silicon. The above-ground stems are upright, green, hollow with nodes. And have many longitudinal grooves. 20-60 cm high, 0.1-0.3 cm in diameter, sheath parallel to and surrounding the erect, branch at the base to form clusters. The underground stem black, creeping, long.
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Leaf: Microphylls are born whorl on the nodes
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Spore: homosporous, strobilus. Yellow sporangia will grow from the top of the stem. When mature, sporangia separate and release the spores by wind. Sporangia grow between August and September and mature in December.
fig.2 Equisetum hyemale,
taken by 宋穎萱 in 中山大學
Aquatic plant
3. How does this plant adapt to an aquatic environment?
(1) Aerenchyma: Equisetum stems are usually hollow and also contain aerenchyma, which can obtain oxygen and carbon dioxide when soaked in water.
(2)Silica: Equisetum is rich in silicon, which increases the strength and toughness of the stems, making them less likely to break under water flow and other environmental stresses.
fig.3 Equisetum hyemale, taken by 宋穎萱 in 中山大學