(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.