Horsetails are native on all continents except Australasia and Antarctica. They are perennial plants, either herbaceous, they die back in winter (most temperate species) or they are evergreen (some tropical species, and the temperate species "Equisetum hyemale, E. scirpoides, E. variegatum" and "E. ramosissimum"). They mostly grow 0.2-1.5 m tall, though "E. telmateia" can exceptionally reach 2.5 m, and the tropical American species "E. giganteum" 5 m, and "E. myriochaetum" 8 m.