(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.