(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.