(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.