=.........                                          .........=
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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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