What Is a Horsetail?

It is a plant with sort of a double life. During the winter horsetail withers ad dies. But in spring, a different looking plant grows. When the snow melts, winter horsetails cover the ground. Horsetails grow in swampy, wet places around the world. The horsetail reproduces two ways: by means of spores and by sprouts from its underground runners. The spores, which are as fine as dust, are released when the tip of the horsetail breaks open. The spores form a moss-like substance in their damp environment, and fertilization takes place, after which the green, spring horsetail grows rapidly. The horsetail is found in wet places on most of the world's land masses. It was once used by thrifty housewives to clean pots and pans, so it is also sometimes known as a scouring rush.