noun
field horsetail; common horsetail
A common perennial plant (Equisetum arvense) found in fields and gardens; often considered a weed.
庭にスギナがたくさん生えている。
A lot of field horsetail is growing in the garden.
スギナは春になると胞子茎を出す。
Field horsetail produces fertile stems in spring.
つくし refers specifically to the fertile, spore-bearing stems of field horsetail, while スギナ is the general name for the whole plant.
The name スギナ is said to come from the resemblance of the sterile stems to small cedar trees (杉, すぎ).