(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.