.,==*$&@##                                          ##@&$*==,.
..,==*$&@#                                          #@&$*==,..
...,==*$&@                                          @&$*==,...
....,==*$&                                          &$*==,....
.....,==*$                                          $*==,.....
......,==*                (EQUISETUM)               *==,......
.......,==                                          ==,.......
........,=                                          =,........
.........,                                          ,.........
..........         .,===,. THE PLANT .,===,.        ..........
..........                                          ..........
.......... THE  EQUISETUM  IS  A PLANT  MUCH  OLDER ..........
........., THAN  FERNS,  WHICH  ARE  IN  TURN  MUCH ,.........
........,= OLDER THAN MOST  TREES. IT'S LIGHT GREEN =,........
.......,== TO  YELLOW  IN  COLOR  AND  IS  SLIGHTLY ==,.......
......,==*               TRANSPARENT.               *==,......
.....,==*$                                          $*==,.....
....,==*$& 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.         &$*==,....
...,==*$&@                                          @&$*==,...
..,==*$&@#                                          #@&$*==,..
.,==*$&@##                                          ##@&$*==,.
..,==*$&@#                                          #@&$*==,..
...,==*$&@                                          @&$*==,...