(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.