This perennial pteridophyte has erect, hollow stems that grow from 30 to 50 cm in length[1] and from 1–4 mm thick.

[1][3] The fertile stems are shorter than the others; on these develop the cones that bear the spore casings or strobili.

Linnaeus was the first to describe wood horsetail with the binomial Equisetum sylvaticum in his Species Plantarum of 1753.

[3] These horsetails are commonly found in wet or swampy forest, open woodlands, and meadow areas.

The plant is an indicator of boreal and cool-temperate climates, and very moist to wet, nitrogen-poor soils.