The common name is derived from the fact that this evergreen species has been used to scour pots and pans. It is so sandpaper-like that it has also been used to strip paint and refinish furniture. Commonly forming very dense patches on roadsides and waste areas, but not found in annual crop ground. This plant takes up minerals from the soil, including measurable amounts of gold. Sold in the homeopathic trade as `shave grass` tea. The picture on page 308 of Weeds of the West (1991 edition) is really Equisetum laevigatum as on page 4 of Weeds and Poisonous Plants of Wyoming.