(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.