Equisetum telmateia Ehrh., Hannover. Mag. 21: 287. 1783.
E. maximum Lam. Fl. Franc. 1: 7. 1778. (as to description, not type).
E. eburneum Schreber ex Roth, Catalecta Botanica 1: 128. 1797.
E. macrostachyon Poiret, Encycl. Meth. 5: 614.1804.
E. majus Garsault, Fig. Pl. II, tab. 258A, 1764; Descript.
Vert. Usag. 166. 1767. (Figure not definitive, description not seen.)
Description:
Stems heterophyadic, the vegetative stem 30-100 (200)
cm tall, (m 61.2) with internodes 2.0-7.8 cm long (m 4.2) and
4-10 (16) mm in diameter (m 6.7), having 14-30 (36) ridges (m
22), the internodes white in color. Internally lacking chlorenchyma,
the collenchyma not as distinct as in other species, massed under
both ridges (carinal collen- chyma) and valleys (vallecular collenchyma).
Central canal 2/3 to 3/4 diameter of stem, vallecular canals prominent.
Endodermis outer common. Stomata absent on stem internodes.
Sheath squarish, 5-12 (18) mm long (m 8.5), 5-11 (16)
mm wide (g 8.3) with teeth 3-10 (12) mm long (m 6.2), green below
and blackish above. Sheath segments prominently grooved.
Branches in regular whorls, erect to spreading, with
the first internode shorter than subtending stem sheath, 3-6 mm
long (m 4.4), with 4 (rarely 5) ridges, grooved, with a silica
profile of serrate sawteeth, these becoming exaggerated on back
of the branch teeth. Branch teeth elongate triangular, commissure
to 1 mm long, with furrow of anchorcells. Valleys rounded, with
stomata scattered throughout. Silica pilules scattered over surface
of stomate but not outlining it. Stoma lined with a prominent
double row of rod-like pilules. Mamil- lae variable in size and
arrangement, but tending to be transversely aligned and confluent.
Branches solid.
Coniferous stems unbranched and non-chlorophyllous, generally
shorter than the vegetative but larger in diameter and fleshy,
with longer sheaths, much longer teeth, these cohering in groups.
Normally evanescent, but occasionally persisting after the spores
shed and becoming branched.
Cones 50-100 mm long (m 70), on peduncles 45-70 mm long (m 51).
Rhizomes dark brown, rough, covered with hairs, occasionally
bearing tubers.
Spores 38-45 µm in diameter (m 41).
Gametophytes larger and faster growing than in the other
species, with larger plates (to 4 mm long), and extensive plate
development on the male gametophytes (hence sexual dimorphism
slight). Antheridia mostly sunken, 1-2 times longer than wide,
with 2, 3 or 4 cap cells.
Type:
Milde (1867a) states that Ehrhart collected the plant "an
Bächen des Deister und Süntel-Gebirges", and that
he had seen the original specimen. The locality would be near
Hannover, Germany. Novak (1971) cites the type as being in G-DC.
The curator there (in lit.) states it is not, but in GOET
(Dr. G. Wagenitz, in lit.) there are two specimens of E telmateia
labeled by Ehrhart as collected at Hannover (possibly the province
rather than the city). One, from the herbarium of G.E.W. Meyer,
was collected in 1793, and designated as lectotype by H.P. Fuchs
in an attached notation dated 1954. However, since it was collected
after the publication of the name, it could only be a "neotype".
The other is from the Wendland herbarium and was not acquired
by GOET until 1969. It bears the date 1781, before the publication
of the name, and this one should be the lectotype. Hauke has seen
a photograph of this specimen and so designates it.
Seasonality:
Coning from March to May.
Distribution:
Azores, Canary Islands, North Africa, Mediterranean Islands. Europe
north to southernmost Sweden, Turkey, Syria, Iran, and southern
USSR to the Caspian Sea.
Ecology:
Marshes, stream banks, and other wet places, in sun and shade.
Discussion:
E. telmateia is the largest member of the subgenus Equisetum
and in Europe the most southerly in range. Abnormalities occur
relatively frequently in this species, such as vegetative stems
bearing underdeveloped cones, aborted cones terminating branches,
cones proliferating as vegetative stems, stems with spiral sheaths.
Unfortunately, these have often been given taxonomic names.
In filled areas such as roadsides and railroad embankments, this
may appear to be growing under xeric conditions, but probably
the same is true here as with E. arvense, that the underground
rhizome system is, at least in part, in saturated soil under the
fill.
Page (1972a), in describing the micromorphological characters
of this species, did not recognize the variability which I detected.
Apparently he based his descriptions on one specimen of each species,
which would limit the variability he might encounter. Since variation
is the expected condition of taxonomic characters, it is not surprising
to find it in micromorphological as well as in macromorphological
characters.
E. telmateia was early confused with E. fluviatile.
Lamarck described it as E. maximum, but cited E. fluviatile
as a synonym. According to Milde (1867a) there are no specimens
labeled E. maximum in La- marck's herbarium, and specimens of
E. telmateia are labeled "E. fluviatile". Garsault's
name E. majus is invalid, according to Novak (1971) because
he did not consistently use binary nomenclature. Novak includes
the Sinai peninsula in the range of E. telmateia, as does
Milde, but that seems a doubtfully disjunct locality.
Equisetum telmateia subsp. braunii (Milde) Hauke.
E. braunii Milde, Verh. zoo.-bot. Ges. Wien 12: 515. 1862.
E. telmateia var. braunii (Milde) Milde, Mon. Equiset. 246. 1867.
Description:
This variety generally shows larger sheaths, 7-18 mm long (m 10.2)
and 5-13 mm wide (m 9), and more frequent 5-angled branches. Its
most distinctive feature is the presence of chlorenchyma (and
as- sociated stomata) in the vegetative stem, under the valleys,
thus having a light green rather than ivory color. Stomata in
bands, are on each side of the valleys.
Type:
"Sonoma bei San Francisco, California." Pajeken 1859.
Distribution:
Kodiak Isl., Alaska. British Columbia south along Pacific Coast
of North America to San Diego Co., California. Possibly formerly
in Keewenaw Co., Michigan (northwest of Cliff Mine, in alder thickets.
Farwell 808. Fertile June 1895, sterile 25 Aug. 1895 (GH)).
Discussion:
This subspecies was originally described as a species by Milde
(1862) who later reduced it to a variety. Jeremy, Page and Raven
(according to Page, 1972a, p. 363) believe it should be considered
a species, but have not yet published their reasons. Hauke can
find no justification for species status for this taxon. The micromorphological
characters described by Page (1972a) differ only in degree between
the European and American members in three out of 12 characters
(Density of dispersal of pilules-sparse vs. intermediate; prominence
of pilules-less prominent vs. prominent; size of mamillae- intermediate
vs. large). In the other nine characters they are the same.
Although at present E. telmateia is found only along the
Pacific Coast of North America, the 19th century reports of its
occurrence in Michigan and in New York cannot be lightly discarded.
Milde report- ed it from "Erie- und Superior-see" (Torrey),
but did not specify whether he had seen specimens from there.
There is in MICH a speeimen collected in New York by Douglas Houghton
which is a mixture, the lower part E. hyemale, the upper
E. telmateia. Farwell's specimen from Keewenaw Co., Michigan
(GH) has been claimed by some to be a doubtful record, perhaps
a misplaced label (Schaffner, 1938) but this is unlikely since
it was collected on two different dates, and Farwell (1937) said
that he "found it there many years ago". Asa Gra (1848)
included it (as E. eburneum) and gave the locality as "Shore
of the Great Lakes, and northward", but dropped it from later
editions.
Hauke believes that the number of indications of the presence
of E. telmateia around the Great Lakes in the 19th century
are too numerous to be all explained as errors, and that it did
occur there as a rare plant, since extinguished.
HAUKE, R.L. (1978)
A taxonomic monograph of the genus Equisetum subgenus Equisetum.
Nova Hedwigia 30, p385.
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