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Story: Weeds of agriculture

Field or common horsetail

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Field or common horsetail

Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) grows to about 80 centimetres high on sites throughout the country. It has hollow jointed stems, is very difficult to eradicate, toxic to livestock, and is on the national list of plants that cannot be sold or distributed in New Zealand.

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by Trevor James

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How to cite this page

Ian Popay, Weeds of agriculture – Costs of weeds, and the future, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/16495/field-or-common-horsetail (accessed 21 June 2026).

Story by Ian Popay, published 1 March 2009.