Sorry to bring this up again but I'm sure there was a major mistake made in
identification and suggested eradication.
Surely everyone was meaning 'Horsetail' and not Mare's tail?
Only Horsetail has the silica- impregnated stems [pot scourers] and lack
flowers~closer to ferns.
Mare's-tail [Hippuridaceae] does have true [diminutive] flowers and
produces tiny nuts in the Autumn.
Mare's-tail is not a weed in the same league as Horsetail [Equisetum] in
any way!!
They do have a roughly similar appearance and originally Mare's-tail was
given that name as it was believed to be the feminine form. It is a
semi-aquatic plant.
I don't mean to stir matters but I'm convinced there was an error!!
Can we just pretend we meant Horsetail all the time?
Best Wishes Brian.