Plants are dimorphic: sterile stems are evergreen, branched, and grow up to 70 cm tall; fertile stems are brownish to whitish, unbranched and typically grow to 30 cm tall. Equisetum arvense is one of the most widespread plants in the world; it is widespread and common in western Washington, sometimes becoming a garden weed. Equisetum arvense is so tough that it was the first vascular plant to send green shoots up after the Mt. St. Helens eruption. Ancient Romans apparently ate the young shoots of Equisetum arvense like asparagus, used them to make tea, and as a thickening agent.