(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.