(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.