Affinis

Horsetails, Equisetophytes, Sphenopsids, etc.

Looking at some of the earlier discussion, I'm puzzled as to why anyone thinks that only Equisetum are called 'horsetails' as a common name. In my experience of talking to pteridologists (and other botanists), the wider use is commonplace. I've just picked up at random two popular accounts of evolution off my bookshelf and they both use the term to refer to all the sphenopsids, equisetophytes, whatever. I expect I'd find many more if I looked. It's true that you don't find the term in many technical books and papers, but then they don't use common names at all usually. Affinis (talk) 07:59, 17 July 2010 (UTC)