scouring rush

American  

noun

1. any of certain horsetails, especially Equisetum hyemale, used for scouring and polishing.

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scouring rush British  

noun

1. any of several horsetails, esp Equisetum hyemale, that have rough-ridged stems and were formerly used for scouring and polishing

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Etymology

Origin of scouring rush

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

The farmers here, as elsewhere, must contend against the scouring rush, varieties of grass and our common pigweeds, even in the rice fields.

From Farmers of Forty Centuries; Or, Permanent Agriculture in China, Korea, and Japan by King, F. H. (Franklin Hiram)

And the one boy would climb trees and get spruce gum for her, while she would seek scouring rush for him.

From Lisbeth Longfrock by Poulsson, Laura E. (Laura Elizabeth)

Plants akin to our "scouring rush" rise twenty-five feet.

From The Andes and the Amazon Across the Continent of South America by Orton, James