(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.