(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.