Equisetaceae

Hollow, jointed, ribbed green stems, often unbranched or with whorls of thin branches at each joint, with no true leaves beyond a small toothed sheath at each node; spores form in a small cone-like structure at the stem tip rather than in any flower.

Stems are heavily reinforced with silica, giving the plant a gritty, abrasive texture once used quite literally to scour pots and polish wood, hence the name scouring rush.

To check whether a plant belongs to Equisetaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.