(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.