ESSEX   BOTANY   AND   MYCOLOGY  GROUPS 

HOME BOTANY GROUP MYCOLOGY GROUP 3rd FLORA of ESSEX RED DATA LISTS HOT NEWS KEN'S KEYS GEOGRAPHY MAPMATE RECORDING

Equisetum sylvaticum:                                                        BACK                           MAP

___________________________________________________________________________________

Equisetum sylvaticum L.                                                                                                 Wood Horsetail

___________________________________________________________________________________

Light intensity: 5. Wetness: 8. pH: 5.  Fertility: 5.  Height: 50 – 80 cm.

Essex Status: Native

Native, a very attractive delicate horsetail of moderately acid, wet but freely draining, moderately fertile soils in light shade. I can’t do better, than to quote Christopher Page: “dense whorls of extremely fine, [regularly, pinnately] branched branches, gracefully drooping towards their tips, each shoot like a miniature spruce tree, but en masse so fine that from a short distance a luxuriant colony appears to cover the ground like a fine green mist”. Common in the north and west but rare in the south-east. Rare and endangered in Essex. The largest stand in the county on the western slopes of Galleywood Common has succumbed to Birch/Oak scrub in recent decades, resulting in drying up of the stream along which it grew. It’s now only found in a small remnant bog that itself is rapidly being taken over by Reedmace. Now most spectacularly appreciated in the Thames Valley Bog in Epping Forest to the north east of Long Running, but even there, now being partially enveloped by bracken, which gets a further toehold whenever we have a summer drought. This is a rare species that I have not yet visited in all its relatively few sites to assess its status. The compendium of records suggests that several other sites are in a precarious position. Monads: c.11.  now gone 5 ?.

 

Post 1930 records:

TQ(51)39

3989,9774

18

Edge of small pond by footpath, north east of Aldergrove Wood,  and west of High Beach, Epping Forest. Kathleen Adiemka confirmed K J Adams. 1973. [No sign in 2011].

TQ(51)49

????

18

High Beach. 1971. L. Holyday. Notes Ronald M Payne.

TL(52)40

437,000

18

Epping Forest, ‘Thames Valley’ Bog, east of the Green Ride, 1951. Ronald M Payne. Large population still present with                        E. telematia and Scutellaria galericulata.  2009. K J Adams.

 

48,02

18

Epping Lower Forest, Kent & Lousely; Gurnon Bushes, Bernard Tavener Ward /edge of Hawkeshill Wood, Ronald M Payne;        1970s. Probably all the same site – destroyed by the M11 motorway.

  48,02 18 Coopersale, edge of Hawkshill Wood, a large colony extending 200 yrs along a ditch bordering the wood on its west side, with Equisetum telemateia. Normal form plus forma capillare. 9 July 1959. Ronald M Payne. Martin Rickard pre 1971,

 

481,022

18

Coopersale, edge of Hawkeshill Wood, a few residual plants beside the new M11 shortly after its opening. Now gone K J Adams.

TQ(51)59

????

18

North east of South Weald Park, field edge by Larch Wood, 1970s. Stanley T Jermyn, K J Adams.

 

570,949

18

South Weald Park, in the park near Fox Wood, Mark O Hill, 1976.

 

568,953

18

South Weald Park, in meadow. 1976. Mark O Hill.

  580,948 18 Pilgrim's Hatch, just SE of Langtons. 1968. Rodney Burton. (east-west ditch just SW of High Wood ?).
  5685,9523 18 South Weald Park, south east corner of Fox Wood. August 1977. K J Adams et LNHS. Martin Rickard 1971.

 

55,96

18

Mores Wood, Coxtie Green. 1976?. K J Adams. Martin Rickardm 12 August 1971. Peter Wanstall said it died out in the Orchard     Annexe stream in c.1971.

TL(52)60

634,082

19

Roxwell, Tye Hall. A few along deeply shaded ditch by farm. 1999. Site dredged. 2000. Graham Smith. = Equis. arvense????

 

632,009

18

Fryerning, Tanhouse Mead, Beggard Hill, single plant 1991, also 1992. Graham Smith. = Equis. arvense?

TL(52)60-70

698,025-

700,026

18

Galleywood Common, many thousands of plants all along the central stream, and up into the main boggy flush north to 699,027. 24 August 1959. Mostly gone by 2009, stream completely dried up and a few plants confined to a small circular bog (enveloped by Birch and Oak scrub). K J Adams.  Also recorded there by Francis Rose, Eric Saunders and Stanley T Jermyn (Flora of Essex 1974).

TL(52)80

????

 

Hectad dot in the Fern Atlas.

TQ(51)88

83,88

18

Eastwood, field edge. Stanley T Jermyn (Essex Flora 1974).

 

823,887

18

Daws Heath, pasture east of Pound Wood, small colony in damp hollow. 10 September 1986: 12 June 1996. Tim Pyner.

  822,887 18 Pound Wood, bank and ditch of east side of wood, scattered. 24 June 1996.

TL(52)81

898,163

19

Tiptree, locally abundant young woodland/scrub. 2003. Richard Kilshaw.

TM(62)02

01,24

19

1977. CNHS.

 

017,219

19

MOD Middlewick & Donyland, one plant by Birch Brook.11 April 2004. Jeremy J Heath & Terri Tarpey.

 

018,219

19

MOD Middlewick & Donyland, scattered by Birch Brook. 28 May 1992. Jeremy J Heath & Terri Tarpey; c. 30 plants scattered         amongst bushes. 8 August 1995. Jeremy Bowdrey & Terri Tarpey.; a few plants near brook, 28 July 2003. Jeremy J Heath &              Terri Tarpey.

 

020,218

19

MOD Middlewick & Donyland, one plant streamside 28 May 1992. Jeremy J Heath & Terri Tarpey.

 

03,24

19

5 July 1984. Alan Wake; 1997. Colchester Nat.His. Museum. Probably the site mentioned in the Flora of N E Essex. Growing            along a stream, a ditch beside a wood (Home Wood?) and on adjacent grassland 10m long patch up to 5m wide.

 

 

 

 

 Pre 1930 records:

TL60/70

 

 18

Chelmsford, Arthur Wallis

 

 

 18

Galleywood Comon. Edward Forster.

TQ49

 

 18

Epping Forest nr. High Beach. Edward Forster.

TL30/40

 

 19

Roydon. Daniel French.

TQ59

 

 18

Warley Common, Boggy Thicket. Edward Forster.

 

 

 18

Navestock, W M Hind.

TL02

 

 19

Blackheath, Colchester, W L P Garnon.