(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.