(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.