Can Horsetail Reeds Grow in Water?

Wet Feet

• Horsetail reeds can tolerate growing in water up to 4 inches deep. Shallow water plants such as horsetail reeds are important to wet areas. The roots provide habitat and protection for small animals. Horsetail reeds growing in small bodies of water such as ponds compete with algae for nitrogen, which helps keep the water healthy and clean. When the horsetail reeds die and begin to decompose, they provide food for aquatic invertebrates.

All Stems

• Along with not producing flowers, horsetail reeds do not have large leaves. The leaves on a horsetail reed look more like scales circling the stem around the joints. The evergreen stems do the job of converting sunlight into energy for the horsetail reeds. The stems are segmented and hollow. Horsetail reeds have tough ridges in the stems that contain silica, which makes them rough and abrasive. This abrasive surface was once used for scouring surfaces, earning the plant the name "scouring rush."

Sticking Around

• Although beneficial to a waterscape in many ways, horsetail rushes should be planted carefully. While they rarely crowd out other plants, they have an extensive root system that is difficult to eradicate. Many stems grow from each root and any section of the root that is broken off is capable of growing an entirely new horsetail reed plant. Because horsetail reeds do not have a large leaf structure, they do not absorb many herbicides at high enough levels to kill the plant. Horsetail reeds should be planted only where they are truly wanted.

Flying Away

• Because horsetail reeds do not flower, they do not produce seeds. Instead they grow a small, cone-like structure on the tip of the stem. This cone contains spores that look like yellow dust when they are released. These grow into small plant structures called gametophytes that produce the male and female reproductive structures. The gametophyte needs water to complete the reproductive cycle. Horsetail reeds that grow away from water cannot reproduce this way unless the spores are carried by the wind to a wet area.