(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.