(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.