Dwarf scouring rush (Equisetum scirpoides)

Family: Equisetaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Equisetum scirpoides is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 2. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Shoots, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

sweet and juicy then, much relished as the first fruit of the season (flora. — The root tubercles can be eaten raw.; Sterile stems are dried, ground to a powder and used for thickening or to make a mush.; This powder has also been used to make a tea, and is sold in some grocery stores.; Underground stems and roots are eaten raw, with or without lard, and are sometimes put in Indian ice-cream.

Habitat & North American Range

Tundra, mossy places, and woods. Stems often partly buried in humus. Part shade, shade; moist woods, peat bogs, shady, mossy wetlands. (Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9)