(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.