........~«                                          «~........
.........~                                          ~.........
..........                                          ..........
.........~                                          ~.........
........~«                                          «~........
.......~«;                (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.          ~.........
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.......~«;                                          ;«~.......
......~«;*                                          *;«~......