(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.