Equisetum palustre

Marsh horsetail ( Equisetum palustre )

The marsh horsetail or Duwock ( Equisetum palustre ) is a plant of the genus Equisetum ( Equisetum ).

Features

The marsh horsetail is a Geophyt, of which the rhizomes over a meter deep in the ground. It reaches a height of 10 to 60 (rarely to 100) centimeters.

The fertile ( sporangientragenden ) and sterile shoots are designed the same, always grass green and appear at the same time. The stem is smooth to slightly rough, has a diameter of up to 4 millimeters and is clearly ripped. The branch is lively and plentiful. The central cavity occupies one-eighth to one-third of the stem diameter. The Stem Leaf sheaths are not or hardly extends to the tip. The four to twelve teeth are permanent, have a broad white skin edge and are shorter than the vaginal tube.

The side branches are strong, have four or five (rarely seven) ribs. The lower internodes shorter than the stalk sheath with them.

The Sporangienähre is blunt and has a length of 10 to 30 mm. The spores mature from June to September. The plant has a diploid set of chromosomes with 2n = 216 chromosomes.

Toxicity

The marsh horsetail is toxic due to its ingredients for livestock grazing. For the toxic effects are mainly two substances responsible: First, a thiaminase that destroys vitamin B1 and especially on horses is toxic and causes a wobble of animals. Second, the piperidine alkaloid Palustrin ( 0.01-0.3 %), which is retained even in the hay over the years and this results in cattle to decrease in milk yield and paralysis.

In humans, no poisoning are known; nevertheless the marsh horsetail should not be included in tea blends. Nicotine is part of the plant.

Dissemination and locations

The species has a circumpolar distribution in the subozeanischen areas of the meridional to the boreal zone. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the species is widespread and common.

The marsh horsetail grows in wet meadows, fens, on the banks and in the siltation areas. He comes from the hill and into the subalpine ( 1600 m ) altitude level before.

Documents

• Manfred A. Fischer, Wolfgang Adler, Karl Oswald: Exkursionsflora for Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol. Second, improved and expanded edition. Province of Upper Austria, Biology Centre of the Upper Austrian State Museums, Linz 2005, ISBN 3-85474-140-5.
• Rudolf Schubert, Klaus Werner, Hermann Meusel (ed.): Exkursionsflora the territories of the GDR and the FRG. Founded by Werner Roth painter. 13th edition. Volume 2: vascular plants, people and knowledge, Berlin, 1987, ISBN 3-06-012539-2.
• Siegmund Seybold (ed.): Schmeil - Fitschen interactive. CD -ROM, Version 1.1, Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2002, ISBN 3-494-01327-6.
• Ruprecht Duell, Herfried Kutzelnigg: Pocket Dictionary of Plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common central European species in the portrait. 7, revised and expanded edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1.
• Lutz Roth, Max Daunderer, Kurt Kormann: Poisonous Plants - Plant poisons. Poisonous plants from A -Z. Emergency response. Occurrence. Effect. Therapy. Allergic and phototoxic reactions. 4th edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2000, ISBN 3-933203-31-7 (reprint of 1994).