(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.