.~«=†%@###                                          ###@%†=«~.
.~«=†%####                                          ####%†=«~.
....~««†%#                                          #%†««~....
.~«=†%@###                                          ###@%†=«~.
....~«==%@                                          @%==«~....
..~««=†††@                (EQUISETUM)               @†††=««~..
.~«=†%@###                                          ###@%†=«~.
.~~~««=††@                                          @††=««~~~.
.~«=†%@###                                          ###@%†=«~.
.....«=%%#        .~«=«~. THE PLANT .~«=«~.         #%%=«.....
.~«=†%@@##                                          ##@@%†=«~.
.~«=†%@### THE  EQUISETUM  IS A  PLANT  MUCH  OLDER ###@%†=«~.
.....~=†%# THAN  FERNS,  WHICH  ARE  IN  TURN  MUCH #%†=~.....
.~««=††%%@ OLDER THAN MOST TREES. IT'S LIGHT  GREEN @%%††=««~.
.~«=†%@### TO  YELLOW  IN  COLOR  AND  IS  SLIGHTLY ###@%†=«~.
.~«===††%#               TRANSPARENT.               #%††===«~.
.~«=†%@###                                          ###@%†=«~.
.~«=†%@### THE  PLANT HAS A SPINE. EACH VERTEBRA IS ###@%†=«~.
.~«=†%@### STACKED  UPON  THE  NEXT, WITH SPOKELIKE ###@%†=«~.
.....~=†%# RIBS  RADIATING  OUTWARD. EVEN SO,  IT'S #%†=~.....
.~«=†%#### VERY LIGHT,  BEING HOLLOW. IT'S  ROUGHLY ####%†=«~.
.~«=†%@### THE HEIGHT OF A  FOXES  TAIL, AND SHARES ###@%†=«~.
.~«=†%@###            A SIMILAR PLUMAGE.            ###@%†=«~.
...~~~~=%@                                          @%=~~~~...
.~«=†%@### IT LIKES PARTIAL  SHADE  AND  VERY  DAMP ###@%†=«~.
.~«=†%@###                  AREAS                   ###@%†=«~.
.~«=†%@###                                          ###@%†=«~.
....«††%##                                          ##%††«....
.~«=†%@###                                          ###@%†=«~.
.~«=†@####         .~«=«~. IN MAGIC .~«=«~.         ####@†=«~.
.~«=†%@###                                          ###@%†=«~.
.~«=†%@### WHEN  A  COLONY NUMBERS HIGH  ENOUGH, IT ###@%†=«~.
......«=†@ SLICES  THE  AIR  IN  THE  FOREST   INTO @†=«......
..~«««††@# SEPARATE  PLANES, A  FEW CENTIMETERS  IN #@††«««~..
.~«=†%@### HEIGHT.  TIME  CAN  GET   DIFFRACTED  IN ###@%†=«~.
.~«=†%@### THESE,  HITTING  EACH   IN   TURN  IN  A ###@%†=«~.
....~~«†%#      SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE, AND       #%†«~~....
.~«=†%@###          EVENTUALLY SPREAD THIN.         ###@%†=«~.
.~«=†%@###                                          ###@%†=«~.
.~«=†%@###                                          ###@%†=«~.
.~«=†%@###                                          ###@%†=«~.
....««†%@#                                          #@%†««....
.~«=†%@###                                          ###@%†=«~.