@#*^««~... ...~««^*#@
@****^«... ...«^****@
#@@#**^«~. .~«^**#@@#
#*^~~..... .....~~^*#
@@#*^«««~. .~«««^*#@@
@@@#**^«~. (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. .~«^**#@@#
#@@#**^«~. .~«^**#@@#
@#**«..... .....«**#@
#@@#**^«~. .~«^**#@@#
@**«~~.... ....~~«**@
#**«~~.... ....~~«**#