(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.