..,=†*$#@#                                          #@#$*†=,..
.,=†*$#@##                                          ##@#$*†=,.
..,=†*$#@#                                          #@#$*†=,..
...,=†*$#@                                          @#$*†=,...
....,=†*$#                                          #$*†=,....
.....,=†*$                (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.         ##@#$*†=,.
..,=†*$#@#                                          #@#$*†=,..
...,=†*$#@                                          @#$*†=,...
....,=†*$#                                          #$*†=,....
.....,=†*$                                          $*†=,.....
......,=†*                                          *†=,......