(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.