Japan Flora: Sterile stems 20-60 cm. long, green, 2-3 mm. across, 8- to 20-grooved, the internodes minutely spiny on the ridges; primary sheaths 3-8 mm. long, pale green, the teeth subulate-deltoid, pale brown, scarious, with a darker colored midrib and white margins; branches horizontally spreading, simple, verticillate, the sheaths pale, with 3 or 4 short, deltoid, acute teeth; fertile stems 10-25 cm. long, simple or with short branches at maturity of the spike, the sheaths 5-10 mm. long, pale yellow-green, with 10-20 lanceolate white-scarious teeth, the midrib brown; spikes 1.5-4 cm. long, pedunculate. Hokkaido (n. and e. distr.); rare;

Sakhalin, n. Kuriles, Korea, Siberia to Europe, and N. America.

Russia Flora: Plant, up to 60 cm tall. Roots without tubers. Spring sporogenous shoots do not die off after spore ripening, but turn green and form the same branches as on sterile shoots. Stems in the upper part with numerous sharp papillae, well noticeable under magnification and to the touch. Branches numerous (8-15 at each node), horizontally or slightly downward bent. Leaf whorls with 10-16 awl-shaped teeth. Cones 10-20 mm long, oblong-oval. 

All regions of the Far Eastern flora.  Found at forest edges, among shrubs, and in meadows. Used as fodder.  General distribution: European part, Caucasus, Western and Eastern Siberia, Central Asia; Scandinavia, Atlantic and Central Europe, Mediterranean, Asia Minor, Dzungaria-Kashgar, Mongolia, Japan-China, North America.  Described from Europe.

Note: Sometimes a hybrid E. pratense × E. arvense is found.