(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.