**«^......                                          ......^«**
@**«^.....                                          .....^«**@
¤@**«^....                                          ....^«**@¤
¶¤@**«^...                                          ...^«**@¤¶
#¶¤@**«^..                                          ..^«**@¤¶#
##¶¤@**«^.               (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.         .^«**@¤¶##
#¶¤@**«^..                                          ..^«**@¤¶#
¶¤@**«^...                                          ...^«**@¤¶
¤@**«^....                                          ....^«**@¤
@**«^.....                                          .....^«**@
**«^......                                          ......^«**