#§*\:..... .....:\*§#
###&§*\«:. .:«\*§##
####§*\«:. .:«\*§####
###&§*\«:. .:«\*§##
###&§*\«:. .:«\*§##
##§**\««:. (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. .:«\*§##
#&*«:..... .....:«*
###&§*\«:. .:«\*§##
&§\:...... ......:\§&
####§*\«:. .:«\*§####
###&§*\«:. .:«\*§##