Giant horsetail, aka Equisetum telmateia, is the only genus in the family Equisetaceae, which reproduce by spores other than by seeds. These ancient rebels have been a part of the forest understory for over 100 million years. Thank you giant horsetail for coming along in my dyepot. For today’s adventure, the horsetail was harvested early in the year (April 5th) and was used fresh. Thank you to Jeri Sparrow who kindly allowed me to harvest some from her side yard.