.--^%$#¶##                                          ##¶#$%^--.
.--^%$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$%^--.
.--^%$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$%^--.
.....-^^$#                                          #$^^-.....
.....--%#@                                          @#%--.....
.--^%$#¶@#                (EQUISETUM)               #@¶#$%^--.
.--^%$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$%^--.
.--^%$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$%^--.
.--^%$$$¶@                                          @¶$$$%^--.
.--^%$#¶@#        .--^--. THE PLANT .--^--.         #@¶#$%^--.
....--%$¶@                                          @¶$%--....
.--^^^^^$# THE  EQUISETUM  IS  A PLANT  MUCH  OLDER #$^^^^^--.
.--^%$#¶¶@ THAN  FERNS,  WHICH  ARE  IN  TURN  MUCH @¶¶#$%^--.
...-^^$##@ OLDER THAN  MOST TREES. IT'S LIGHT GREEN @##$^^-...
....-^^$#@ TO  YELLOW  IN  COLOR  AND  IS  SLIGHTLY @#$^^-....
...--^^^%#               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 #%---.....
.--^%$#¶@#       SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE, AND      #@¶#$%^--.
.--^%$#¶@#          EVENTUALLY SPREAD THIN.         #@¶#$%^--.
.--^%$#¶##                                          ##¶#$%^--.
.--^%$¶@##                                          ##@¶$%^--.
.--^%$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$%^--.
....-^^$#@                                          @#$^^-....
.---^^^%$¶                                          ¶$%^^^---.