..,-;$@### ###@$;-,..
...,-;$@## ##@$;-,...
....,-;$@# #@$;-,....
.....,-;$@ @$;-,.....
......,-;$ $;-,......
.......,-; (EQUISETUM) ;-,.......
........,- -,........
........., ,.........
.......... ..........
.......... .,-;-,. THE PLANT .,-;-,. ..........
.......... ..........
.......... THE EQUISETUM IS A PLANT MUCH OLDER ..........
.......... THAN FERNS, WHICH ARE IN TURN MUCH ..........
........., OLDER THAN MOST TREES. IT'S LIGHT GREEN ,.........
........,- TO YELLOW IN COLOR AND IS SLIGHTLY -,........
.......,-; TRANSPARENT. ;-,.......
......,-;$ $;-,......
.....,-;$@ 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 @$;-,.....
......,-;$ $;-,......
.......,-; ;-,.......
........,- -,........
........., .,-;-,. IN MAGIC .,-;-,. ,.........
.......... ..........
.......... WHEN A COLONY NUMBERS HIGH ENOUGH, IT ..........
.......... SLICES THE AIR IN THE FOREST INTO ..........
.......... SEPARATE PLANES, A FEW CENTIMETERS IN ..........
.......... HEIGHT. TIME CAN GET DIFFRACTED IN ..........
........., THESE, HITTING EACH IN TURN IN A ,.........
........,- SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE, AND -,........
.......,-; EVENTUALLY SPREAD THIN. ;-,.......
......,-;$ $;-,......
.....,-;$@ @$;-,.....
....,-;$@# #@$;-,....
...,-;$@## ##@$;-,...
..,-;$@### ###@$;-,..