(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.