(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.