(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.