Horsetail - An Ancient Plant

Peek into the treeline here to find a truly ancient plant known as horsetail.

This strange looking plant is often called a “living fossil,” since it first appeared almost 200 million years ago during the Jurassic period. Subspecies of horsetail are found all over the northern hemisphere.

Horsetail’s stems contain silica, the same compound that forms glass and sand. This means its broken stems are quite “scratchy” and have been used by many cultures as an abrasive tool for scrubbing and polishing. Horsetail was also used as an herbal remedy by Native American peoples as well as ancient Greek & Romans.

If you look closely you can see tight bands near the base of the horsetail. The Scottish mathematician John Napier was captivated and inspired by these bands. His attempts to explain their neatness and complexity led to the formulation of the first logarithms - a mathematical concept that went on to impact everything from navigation to music theory.

Thoughts:

How has nature inspired you?

What are some other things that people have learned from the natural world?