(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.