(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.