equisetum

American  

[ek-wuh-see-tuhm] / ˌɛk wəˈsi təm /

noun

PLURAL

equisetums, equiseta

1. any plant of the genus Equisetum, comprising the horsetails.

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equisetum British  

/ ˌɛkwɪˈsiːtəm /

noun

1. any tracheophyte plant of the genus Equisetum, which comprises the horsetails

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Other Word Forms

• equisetic adjective

Etymology

Origin of equisetum

1820–30; < New Latin; Latin equisaetum, equivalent to equi-, combining form of equus horse + saet ( a ) bristle + -um neuter noun suffix

Example Sentences

The study, titled "Extreme triple oxygen isotope fractionation in Equisetum," examines horsetails, which are hollow-stemmed plants that have existed on the planet for more than 400 million years.

From Science Daily

With ceramic blue agave and euphorbia towering over the succulent garden, turquoise equisetum rising above a bed of artichokes, and the soothing sounds of a ceramics-filled bubbling lily pond, the intimate setting is a welcome dose of beauty and calm during troubling times.

From Los Angeles Times

Her team zeroed in on the nutritional content of low-growing, spore-bearing horsetails, or Equisetum, which were widespread during the Jurassic period and still grow today.

From Science Magazine

Equisetum is rich in protein, they say, and far more nutritious than the ferns, cycads, and conifers common in the dinosaur era.

From Science Magazine

The houttuynia Chameleon, a leafy ground cover, is impossible to remove, much like equisetum, and both go wild in wet soils.

From Washington Post