(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.