...~=***#¶                                          ¶#***=~...
....~=***#                                          #***=~....
.....~=***                                          ***=~.....
......~=**                                          **=~......
.......~=*                                          *=~.......
........~=               (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.         #¶#***=~..
.~=***#¶##                                          ##¶#***=~.
..~=***#¶#                                          #¶#***=~..
...~=***#¶                                          ¶#***=~...
....~=***#                                          #***=~....
.....~=***                                          ***=~.....