(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.