Great Horsetail - Equisetum telmateia
Description
Our largest horsetail. It has ivory white, brittle, smooth sterile stems up to 200 cm. The central stem cavity is one third to half the stem's diameter. Branches are very long (to 20 cm) and numerous with 20 to 40 at each node. Fertile stems are also ivory white and quite thick with cones reaching 4 to 8 cm.
Identification difficulty
Habitat
Spring lines where lime rich water emerges, wet woodlands, marshes etc.
When to see it
Fertile cones ripe in April, sterile stems present May to October.
Life History
Perennial.
UK Status
Fairly frequent in England and Wales but scarcer in Scotland.
VC55 Status
Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland but sometimes quite abundant where it does occur. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 75 of the 617 tetrads.
David Nicholls
Launde Fish Ponds
22 September 2012
Graham Calow
Dunton Bassett Quarry
16 July 2015
David Nicholls
Ratby
17 June 2024
Graham Calow
Dunton Bassett Quarry
16 July 2015
Barbara Cooper
Clawson Hill
25 April 2013
Alan Semper
Canal at Harby
18 April 2011
David Nicholls
Ratby, Desford Lane
01 July 2022
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
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UK Map
Species profile
- Common names
- Giant Horsetail, Great Horsetail
- Species group:
- Ferns & Horsetails
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Equisetales
- Family:
- Equisetaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 69
- First record:
- 18/04/2011 ()
- Last record:
- 16/09/2025 (David Wright)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
10km squares with records
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.
Latest images
Great Horsetail
Equisetum telmateia
Great Horsetail
Equisetum telmateia
Great Horsetail
Equisetum telmateia
Great Horsetail
Equisetum telmateia
Great Horsetail
Equisetum telmateia
Great Horsetail
Equisetum telmateia
Great Horsetail
Equisetum telmateia
Great Horsetail
Equisetum telmateia
Latest records
| Common name | Scientific name | Date recorded | Recorded by | Site name | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 16/09/2025 | David Wright | ULVERSCROFT Manor | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 14/06/2025 | Catherine Horrell | Staunton Harold | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 27/04/2025 | Nicholls, David | Ratby Change | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 25/03/2025 | Cooper, Barbara | Clawson hill | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 18/11/2024 | Cooper, Barbara | Clawson Hill | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 13/11/2024 | Nicholls, David | Ulverscroft Manor | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 30/08/2024 | Bell, Melinda | Stathern, Coombs Meadows | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 17/06/2024 | Nicholls, David | Ratby | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 08/06/2024 | Smith, Peter | Mowsley | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 06/06/2024 | Wright, David | Ulverscroft Grange and Manor | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 05/06/2024 | Charity, Kenneth | Newtown Linford, Park Cafe carpark | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 04/01/2024 | Nicholls, David | Ratby | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 10/11/2023 | Bell, Melinda | Ulverscroft,alder carr | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 17/10/2023 | Graves, Hazel | Footpath Whitwick Lane to Bardon Hill | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 02/08/2023 | Bell, Melinda | Bardon Hill | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 20/07/2023 | Bennett, Simon | Great Merrible Wood | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 06/07/2023 | Nicholls, David | Ratby, Desford Lane | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 31/05/2023 | Bell, Melinda | Worthington,Cloud Trail | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 03/04/2023 | Cooper, Barbara | Clawson Hill | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 14/08/2022 | Smith, Peter | Loddington, Eye Brook | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 01/07/2022 | Nicholls, David | Ratby, Desford Lane | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 24/06/2022 | Bell, Melinda | Lount Household Waste Site | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 15/06/2022 | Bell, Melinda | Holwell Mineral Line | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 08/06/2022 | Bell, Melinda | Calke,Southwood | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 09/11/2021 | Nicholls, David | Ratby | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 25/07/2021 | Bell, Melinda | Worthington,Cloud Trail field edge | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 27/06/2021 | Mabbett, Craig | Launde Abbey | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 24/04/2021 | Gray, Stephen | Coombs Meadows | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 09/12/2020 | Bell, Melinda | Swithland Woods | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 31/08/2020 | Bell, Melinda | Coleorton,The Paddock | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 23/07/2020 | Gamble, Gavin | Holwell Reserves | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 16/04/2020 | Leonard, Pete | Harby Hill Wood SSSI (S) | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 02/03/2020 | Lewis, Steven | Eastwell, Ironstone banks | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 26/03/2019 | Bell, Melinda | Little Dalby Estate | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 21/03/2019 | Cooper, Barbara | Ulverscroft | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 05/09/2018 | Donovan, Lindsi | Ulverscroft NR | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 27/07/2018 | Charity, Kenneth | Holwell Reserves | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 28/06/2018 | Cooper, Barbara | Ulverscroft | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 14/06/2018 | Nicholls, David | Owston Wood | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 14/06/2018 | Gould, David | Owston Woods | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 12/05/2018 | Mathers, Steve | Holwell Reserves | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 11/05/2018 | Semper, Alan | Coombs Meadow NR Stathern | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 20/04/2018 | Mathers, Steve | Grantham Canal (Harby to Plungar) | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 18/04/2017 | Mathers, Steve | Grantham Canal (Harby to Stathern Bridge) | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 20/03/2017 | Lewis, Steven | welby | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 26/11/2016 | Cann, Alan | Launde Park Wood | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 18/11/2016 | Semper, Alan | Holwell Mineral Line nagture reserve | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 07/10/2016 | Mathers, Steve | Sandpit Farm Woods, Long Clawson | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 06/10/2016 | Mathers, Steve | Ulverscroft NR | ||
| Great Horsetail | Equisetum telmateia | 17/08/2016 | Mathers, Steve | Mineral Line, Holwell NR |
David Nicholls
Ratby
17 June 2024
Ron.stevens
Dunton Bassett Quarry
17 May 2015
David Nicholls
Launde Fish Ponds
22 September 2012
David Gould
Owston Woods
14 June 2018
Alan Semper
Holwell, Mineral Line
13 May 2014
Note fine grooves on stem
Alan Semper
Harby canal
19 May 2013
David Nicholls
Launde Fish Ponds
22 September 2012
Ken Charity
Newtown Linford, Park Cafe carpark
05 June 2024
Ken Charity
Newtown Linford, Park Cafe carpark
05 June 2024
Barbara Cooper
Clawson Hill
25 April 2013
Alan Semper
Stathern Coombs Meadow NR
08 August 2014
Alan Semper
Stathern Coombs Meadow NR
08 August 2014
steven lewis
welby
20 March 2017
