(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.