(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.