(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.