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.........~                                          ~.........
........~=                                          =~........
.......~=†                                          †=~.......
......~=†*               (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.          *†=~......
.......~=†                                          †=~.......
........~=                                          =~........
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