%*=.......                                          .......=*%
*=........                                          ........=*
=.........                                          .........=
..........                                          ..........
=.........                                          .........=
*=........               (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.         ........=*
%*=.......                                          .......=*%
@%*=......                                          ......=*%@
¤@%*=.....                                          .....=*%@¤
#¤@%*=....                                          ....=*%@¤#
##¤@%*=...                                          ...=*%@¤##