Wood Horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum)

Family: Equisetaceae | Edibility: Edible (1/5)

Equisetum species - horsetail family are Creeping, perenial, Branching rootstocks, rooted at the nodes. The Arial stems may be annual or Perennial, are cylindrical, fluted, simple or with whorled branches at the jointed nodes. The internodes are usually hollow. The Surfaces of the stems are covered with Silica. The Cones are terminal.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Shoots, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Strobil (the fertile shoots in spring) - cooked. An asparagus substitute, though it is neither very palatable nor very nutritious. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. Roots - cooked. A source of starch. — Strobil (the fertile shoots in spring) - cooked.; An asparagus substitute, though it is neither very palatable nor very nutritious.; Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.; A source of starch.

Habitat & North American Range

Damp woods on acid soils, moors etc. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)