Horsetail was the first green to shoot up through Mt. St. Helens' debris of May, 1980. It is often straw-colored. Its slender green branches are easily mistaken for leaves. It has a bottle brush shape. Some species come up in very early spring, to be followed in summer by much taller, green-branched vegetative stems. These horsetails die back in winter. A few other species of horsetails called scouring-rushes (and some horsetails) have been picked worldwide for scouring, sanding, and polishing. The scientific name is Equisetum arvense.
Source:
Mathews, Daniel. Cascade-Olympic Natural History. Raven Editions,
1988.