Ferns (Pteridophyta) Fossil range: Mid Devonian[1] - Recent
Athyrium filix-femina unrolling young frond
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pteridophyta
Classes[2]
†Cladoxylopsida Psilotopsida Equisetopsida (alias Sphenopsida) Marattiopsida Polypodiopsida (alias Pteridopsida, Filicopsida)

A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era spanning from to  million years ago. Athyrium filix-femina ( Lady Fern or Common Lady-fern) is a large feathery species of Fern native throughout most of the temperate Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The cladoxylopsids are a group of Plants known only as Fossils that are thought to be ancestors of Ferns and Horsetails They had a central trunk Psilotopsida is a class of Fern -like plants As circumscribed by Smith et al Equisetopsida, or Sphenopsida, is a class of Plants with a fossil record going back to the Devonian. Class Marattiopsida is a group of Ferns containing a single order Marattiales, and family Marattiaceae. The Pteridopsida is a class of Plants in the Division Pteridophyta that includes all the Leptosporangiate ferns In the recent 2006 classification by In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The group is also referred to as Polypodiophyta, or Polypodiopsida when treated as a subdivision of tracheophyta (vascular plants). Vascular plants (also known as tracheophytes or higher plants) are those Plants that have lignified tissues for conducting The study of ferns and other pteridophytes is called pteridology, and one who studies ferns and other pteridophytes is called a pteridologist. The term "pteridophyte" has traditionally been used to describe all seedless vascular plants, making it synonymous with "ferns and fern allies". The pteridophytes are Vascular plants (plants with Xylem and Phloem) that neither Flower nor produce Seeds hence they are called vascular Vascular plants (also known as tracheophytes or higher plants) are those Plants that have lignified tissues for conducting Fern ally is a general term covering a somewhat diverse group of Vascular plants that are not Flowering plants and not true Ferns Like ferns these plants This can be confusing since members of the fern phylum Pteridophyta are also sometimes referred to as pteridophytes.

Life cycle

Ferns are vascular plants differing from the more primitive lycophytes by having true leaves (megaphylls), and they differ from seed plants (gymnosperms and angiosperms) in their mode of reproduction - lacking flowers and seeds. Vascular plants (also known as tracheophytes or higher plants) are those Plants that have lignified tissues for conducting The Division Lycopodiophyta (sometimes called Lycophyta) is a tracheophyte subdivision of the Kingdom Plantae It is the oldest extant (living In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. The spermatophytes (from the Greek word "Σπερματόφυτα" (also known as phanerogams) comprise those Plants that produce Seeds They are Gymnosperm (Gymnospermae are a group of Spermatophyte seed-bearing Plants with Ovules on the edge or blade of an open Sporophyll, which are The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored Like all other vascular plants, they have a life cycle referred to as alternation of generations, characterized by a diploid sporophytic and a haploid gametophytic phase. A life cycle is a period involving 1 Generation of an Organism through means of Reproduction, whether through Asexual reproduction or Sexual The Alternation of phases (or generations) describes the life cycle of Plants Fungi and Protists A multicellular Diploid phase alternates "Haplo" redirects here For the fictional character see The Death Gate Cycle. All land plants and some Algae, have life cycles in which a haploid Gametophyte generation alternates with a Diploid sporophyte, the generation of a "Haplo" redirects here For the fictional character see The Death Gate Cycle. In Plants and Algae that undergo Alternation of generations, a gametophyte is the multicellular structure or phase that is Haploid, containing Unlike the gymnosperms and angiosperms, the ferns' gametophyte is a free-living organism. The life cycle of a typical fern is as follows:

1. A sporophyte (diploid) phase produces haploid spores by meiosis;
2. A spore grows by mitosis into a gametophyte, which typically consists of a photosynthetic prothallus
3. The gametophyte produces gametes (often both sperm and eggs on the same prothallus) by mitosis
4. A mobile, flagellate sperm fertilizes an egg that remains attached to the prothallus
5. The fertilized egg is now a diploid zygote and grows by mitosis into a sporophyte (the typical "fern" plant). All land plants and some Algae, have life cycles in which a haploid Gametophyte generation alternates with a Diploid sporophyte, the generation of a "Haplo" redirects here For the fictional character see The Death Gate Cycle. "Haplo" redirects here For the fictional character see The Death Gate Cycle. In Biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions In Biology or life science meiosis (pronounced my-oh-sis is a process of reductional division in which the number of chromosomes per cell is cut in half In Plants and Algae that undergo Alternation of generations, a gametophyte is the multicellular structure or phase that is Haploid, containing A prothallium, or prothallus (from Latin pro = forwards and Greek θαλλος ( thallos) = twig is usually a A gamete (from Ancient Greek γαμέτης; translated gamete = wife gametes = husband is a cell that fuses with another gamete The term sperm is derived from the Greek word (σπέρμα sperma (meaning "seed" and refers to the male reproductive cells. An ovum (plural ova) is a Haploid Female reproductive cell or Gamete. Mitosis is the process in which a Eukaryotic cell separates the Chromosomes in its Cell nucleus, into two identical sets in two daughter nuclei A flagellum ( plural flagella) is a tail-like structure that projects from the Cell body of certain Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic cells and it For other meanings see Zygote (disambiguation. A zygote (from Greek ζυγωτός zugōtos "joined" or "yoked"

Fern ecology

Ferns at Muir Woods, California

The stereotypic image of ferns growing in moist shady woodland nooks is far from being a complete picture of the habitats where ferns can be found growing. Fern species live in a wide variety of habitats, from remote mountain elevations, to dry desert rock faces, to bodies of water or in open fields. A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak A desert is a Landscape or region that receives very little precipitation. Ferns in general may be thought of as largely being specialists in marginal habitats, often succeeding in places where various environmental factors limit the success of flowering plants. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Some ferns are among the world's most serious weed species, including the bracken fern growing in the British highlands, or the mosquito fern (Azolla) growing in tropical lakes, both species form large aggressively spreading colonies. Brackens ( Pteridium) are a genus of about ten species of large coarse Ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. Azolla ( mosquito fern, duckweed fern, fairy moss, water fern) is a Genus of seven species of aquatic There are four particular types of habitats that ferns are found in: moist, shady forests; crevices in rock faces, especially when sheltered from the full sun; acid wetlands including bogs and swamps; and tropical trees, where many species are epiphytes. A forest is an area with a high density of Trees There are many definitions of a forest based on various criteria A bog or mire is a Wetland type that accumulates Acidic Peat, a deposit of dead plant material &ndash usually Mosses but also A swamp is a Wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or An epiphyte is an organism that grows upon or attaches to a living plant

Many ferns depend on associations with mycorrhizal fungi. A mycorrhiza (Greek for fungus roots coined by Frank 1885 typically seen in the plural forms mycorrhizae or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic (occasionally Many ferns only grow within specific pH ranges; for instance, the climbing fern (Lygodium) of eastern North America will only grow in moist, intensely acid soils, while the bulblet bladder fern (Cystopteris bulbifera), with an overlapping range, is only ever found on limestone. Lygodium ( climbing fern) is a genus of about 40 species of Ferns native to tropical regions across the world with a few temperate species in eastern In Computer science, ACID ( Atomicity Consistency Isolation Durability) is a set of properties that guarantee that Database transactions are Cystopteris is a genus of Ferns These are known generally as bladderferns or fragile ferns. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3

Fern structure

Ferns at the Royal Melbourne Botanical Gardens

Tree ferns, probably Dicksonia antarctica, growing in Nunniong, Australia

Like the sporophytes of seed plants, those of ferns consist of:

• Stems: Most often an underground creeping rhizome, but sometimes an above-ground creeping stolon (e. A stem is one of two main structural axes of a Vascular plant. In Botany, a rhizome is a horizontal stem of a Plant that is usually found underground often sending out Roots and Shoots g. , Polypodiaceae), or an above-ground erect semi-woody trunk (e. Polypodiaceae is a family of polypod Ferns which includes more than 60 Genera divided into several tribes and containing around 1000 g. , Cyatheaceae) reaching up to 20 m in a few species (e. The Cyatheaceae is a family of Fern that includes the world's tallest Tree ferns which reach heights up to 20 m g. , Cyathea brownii on Norfolk Island and Cyathea medullaris in New Zealand). Norfolk Island ( Norfuk: Norfuk Ailen) is a small inhabited island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island
• Leaf: The green, photosynthetic part of the plant. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. Green is a Color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a Wavelength of roughly 520–570- nm. Photosynthesis is a Metabolic pathway that converts Light Energy into Chemical energy. In ferns, it is often referred to as a frond, but this is because of the historical division between people who study ferns and people who study seed plants, rather than because of differences in structure. A frond is a large Leaf with many divisions to it and the term is typically used for the leaves of palms Ferns or Cycads A frond is New leaves typically expand by the unrolling of a tight spiral called a crozier or fiddlehead. Fiddlehead ferns refers to the unfurled fronds of a young Fern harvested for food consumption This uncurling of the leaf is termed circinate vernation. Vernation (from vernal, since that is when leaves "spring forth" in Temperate regions is the formation of new leaves or fronds Leaves are divided into three types:
  • Trophophyll: A leaf that does not produce spores, instead only producing sugars by photosynthesis. Analogous to the typical green leaves of seed plants.
  • Sporophyll: A leaf that produces spores. A sporophyll is a Leaf that produces Spores Sporophylls are part of the Diploid Sporophyte generation and the spores are produced by Meiosis These leaves are analogous to the scales of pine cones or to stamens and pistil in gymnosperms and angiosperms, respectively. Unlike the seed plants, however, the sporophylls of ferns are typically not very specialized, looking similar to trophophylls and producing sugars by photosynthesis as the trophophylls do.
  • Brophophyll: A leaf that produces abnormally large amounts of spores. There leaves are also larger than the other leaves but bare a resemblance to trophopylls.
• Roots: The underground non-photosynthetic structures that take up water and nutrients from soil. ROOT is an object-oriented program and library developed by CERN. They are always fibrous and are structurally very similar to the roots of seed plants. A fibrous root system (sometimes also called adventitious root system) is the opposite of a taproot system.

The gametophytes of ferns, however, are very different from those of seed plants. They typically consist of:

• Prothallus: A green, photosynthetic structure that is one cell thick, usually heart or kidney shaped, 3-10 mm long and 2-8 mm broad. The prothallus produces gametes by means of:
  • Antheridia: Small spherical structures that produce flagellate sperm. An antheridium (plural antheridia) is a Haploid structure or organ producing and containing male Gametes (called antherozoids or Sperm A flagellum ( plural flagella) is a tail-like structure that projects from the Cell body of certain Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic cells and it
  • Archegonia: A flask-shaped structure that produces a single egg at the bottom, reached by the sperm by swimming down the neck. An archegonium (pl archegonia) from the Ancient Greek ἀρχή ("beginning" and γόνος ("offspring" is a multicellular
• Rhizoids: root-like structures (not true roots) that consist of single greatly-elongated cells, water and mineral salts are absorbed over the whole structure. Rhizoids are a structure in plants and fungi that functions like a root in support or absorption ROOT is an object-oriented program and library developed by CERN. Rhizoids anchor the prothallus to the soil.

One interesting difference between sporophytes and gametophytes might be summed up by the saying that "Nothing eats ferns, but everything eats gametophytes. " This is an over-simplification, but it is true that gametophytes are often difficult to find in the field because they are far more likely to be food than are the sporophytes.

Evolution and classification

Ferns first appear in the fossil record in the early-Carboniferous period. The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian period about 359 By the Triassic, the first evidence of ferns related to several modern families appeared. The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 251 to 199 Ma (million years ago The "great fern radiation" occurred in the late-Cretaceous, when many modern families of ferns first appeared. The Cretaceous (kriːˈteɪʃəs, usually abbreviated 'K' for its German translation "Kreide" is a geologic period and system, reaching from the end of

Ferns have traditionally been grouped in the Class Filices, but modern classifications assign them their own division in the plant kingdom, called Pteridophyta.

Traditionally, three discrete groups of plants have been considered ferns: two groups of eusporangiate ferns--families Ophioglossaceae (adders-tongues, moonworts, and grape-ferns) and Marattiaceae--and the leptosporangiate ferns. Ophioglossaceae, the Adder's tongue family is a family of Ferns currently thought to be most closely related to Psilotaceae, the two together comprising Ophioglossum ( Adder's-tongue) is a genus of about 25-30 species of Ophioglossales in the family Ophioglossaceae, with a Moonworts are seedless Vascular plants of the genus Botrychium, sensu stricto. Grape-ferns are seedless Vascular plants of the genus Botrychium which are in some classifications segregated in a separate genus Botrypus. Class Marattiopsida is a group of Ferns containing a single order Marattiales, and family Marattiaceae. A sporangium (pl sporangia) is a Plant or fungal structure producing and containing Spores Sporangia occur in angiosperms, The Marattiaceae are a primitive group of tropical ferns with a large, fleshy rhizome, and are now thought to be a sibling taxon to the main group of ferns, the leptosporangiate ferns. Several other groups of plants were considered "fern allies": the clubmosses, spikemosses, and quillworts in the Lycopodiophyta, the whisk ferns in Psilotaceae, and the horsetails in the Equisetaceae. Fern ally is a general term covering a somewhat diverse group of Vascular plants that are not Flowering plants and not true Ferns Like ferns these plants Lycopodiopsida is a class of plants often loosely grouped as the fern allies, and includes the clubmosses Spikemoss refers to any plant of the genus Selaginella in the family Selaginellaceae Isoëtes, commonly known as the Quillworts, is the genus of plants in the class Isoetopsida and order Isoetales. The Division Lycopodiophyta (sometimes called Lycophyta) is a tracheophyte subdivision of the Kingdom Plantae It is the oldest extant (living Psilotum ( whisk fern) is a genus of Fern -like Vascular plants one of two genera in the family Psilotaceae, order Psilotaceae is a family of fern-like plants (in order Psilotales) consisting of two genera Psilotum and Tmesipteris Equisetum is a genus of Vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds Equisetum is a genus of Vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds More recent genetic studies have shown that the Lycopodiophyta are only distantly related to any other vascular plants, having radiated evolutionarily at the base of the vascular plant clade, while both the whisk ferns and horsetails are as much "true" ferns as are the Ophioglossoids and Marattiaceae. Vascular plants (also known as tracheophytes or higher plants) are those Plants that have lignified tissues for conducting A clade is a taxonomic group comprising a single Common ancestor and all the descendants of that ancestor In fact, the whisk ferns and Ophioglossoids are demonstrably a clade, and the horsetails and Marattiaceae are arguably another clade. Molecular data - which remain poorly constrained for many parts of the plants' phylogeny - have been supplemented by recent morphological observations supporting the inclusion of Equisetaceae within the ferns, notably relating to the construction of their sperm, and peculiarities of their roots (Smith et al 2006, and references therein).

One possible means of treating this situation is to consider only the leptosporangiate ferns as "true" ferns, while considering the other three groups as "fern allies". In practice, numerous classification schemes have been proposed for ferns and fern allies, and there has been little consensus among them. A new classification by Smith et al. (2006) is based on recent molecular systematic studies, in addition to morphological data. This classification divides ferns into four classes:

• Psilotopsida
• Equisetopsida
• Marattiopsida
• Polypodiopsida

The last group includes most plants familiarly known as ferns. Modern research supports older ideas based on morphology that the Osmundaceae diverged early in the evolutionary history of the leptosporangiate ferns; in certain ways this family is intermediate between the eusporangiate ferns and the leptosporangiate ferns.

The complete classification scheme proposed by Smith et al. (2006; alternative names in brackets):

• Class Psilotopsida
  • Order Ophioglossales
    • Family Ophioglossaceae (incl. Psilotopsida is a class of Fern -like plants As circumscribed by Smith et al Ophioglossales (lit 'snake-tongue-plant' are a small group of Pteridophyte Plants Traditionally they are included in the division Pteridophyta, Ophioglossaceae, the Adder's tongue family is a family of Ferns currently thought to be most closely related to Psilotaceae, the two together comprising Botrychiaceae, Helminthostachyaceae)
  • Order Psilotales
    • Family Psilotaceae (incl. Botrychiaceae (moonwort family is a segregate family of Ferns The family includes only the genus Botrychium, which in some treatments is Helminthostachys zeylanica is a terrestrial Herbaceous Fern -like plant of southeastern Asia and Australia, commonly known as Psilotaceae is a family of fern-like plants (in order Psilotales) consisting of two genera Psilotum and Tmesipteris Psilotaceae is a family of fern-like plants (in order Psilotales) consisting of two genera Psilotum and Tmesipteris Tmesipteridaceae)
• Class Equisetopsida [=Sphenopsida]
  • Order Equisetales
    • Family Equisetaceae
• Class Marattiopsida
  • Order Marattiales
    • Family Marattiaceae (incl. Psilotaceae is a family of fern-like plants (in order Psilotales) consisting of two genera Psilotum and Tmesipteris Equisetopsida, or Sphenopsida, is a class of Plants with a fossil record going back to the Devonian. The Equisetales is an order of pteridophytes with only one living genus Equisetum (horsetails Equisetum is a genus of Vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds Class Marattiopsida is a group of Ferns containing a single order Marattiales, and family Marattiaceae. Class Marattiopsida is a group of Ferns containing a single order Marattiales, and family Marattiaceae. Class Marattiopsida is a group of Ferns containing a single order Marattiales, and family Marattiaceae. Angiopteridaceae, Christenseniaceae, Danaeaceae, Kaulfussiaceae)
• Class Pteridopsida [=Filicopsida, Polypodiopsida]
  • Order Osmundales
    • Family Osmundaceae
  • Order Hymenophyllales
    • Family Hymenophyllaceae (incl. The Pteridopsida is a class of Plants in the Division Pteridophyta that includes all the Leptosporangiate ferns In the recent 2006 classification by Osmundaceae is the only Fern family of the order Osmundales; an order in the class Polypodiopsida or in some classifications the only order in the Osmundaceae is the only Fern family of the order Osmundales; an order in the class Polypodiopsida or in some classifications the only order in the The Hymenophyllaceae ( filmy ferns and bristle ferns) is a family of seven genera and over 600 species of Ferns with a subcosmopolitan distribution The Hymenophyllaceae ( filmy ferns and bristle ferns) is a family of seven genera and over 600 species of Ferns with a subcosmopolitan distribution Trichomanaceae)
  • Order Gleicheniales
    • Family Gleicheniaceae (incl. Dicranopteridaceae, Stromatopteridaceae)
    • Family Dipteridaceae (incl. Cheiropleuriaceae)
    • Family Matoniaceae
  • Order Schizaeales
    • Family Lygodiaceae
    • Family Anemiaceae (incl. Schizaeales is an order of fern (class Pteridopsida) The ferns in this order were once all lumped into the family Schizaeaceae in the old order Filicales Lygodium ( climbing fern) is a genus of about 40 species of Ferns native to tropical regions across the world with a few temperate species in eastern Species of the genus Anemia are sometimes called flowering ferns but this term is more commonly applied to ferns of the genus Osmunda. Mohriaceae)
    • Family Schizaeaceae
  • Order Salviniales
    • Family Marsileaceae (incl. The order Salviniales (formerly known as the Hydropteridales and including the former Marsileales) is an order of Ferns in the Division Pteridophyta The Marsileaceae are a small family of Heterosporous aquatic and semi-aquatic Ferns though at first sight they do not physically resemble Pilulariaceae)
    • Family Salviniaceae (incl. Salvinia, the sole Genus in the family Salviniaceae, is a floating fern Azollaceae)
  • Order Cyatheales
    • Family Thyrsopteridaceae
    • Family Loxomataceae
    • Family Culcitaceae
    • Family Plagiogyriaceae
    • Family Cibotiaceae
    • Family Cyatheaceae (incl. Azolla ( mosquito fern, duckweed fern, fairy moss, water fern) is a Genus of seven species of aquatic The order Cyatheales is a Taxonomic division of the Fern subclass Cyatheatae, which includes the tree ferns. Thyrsopteris is a predominant plant Genus in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago. Cibotium is a genus of eleven species of tropical Tree fern &mdashsubject to much confusion and revision&mdashdistributed fairly narrowly in Hawaii The Cyatheaceae is a family of Fern that includes the world's tallest Tree ferns which reach heights up to 20 m Alsophilaceae, Hymenophyllopsidaceae)
    • Family Dicksoniaceae (incl. The Cyatheaceae is a family of Fern that includes the world's tallest Tree ferns which reach heights up to 20 m The Dicksoniaceae is a family of tropical subtropical and warm temperate Ferns Most of the 5-6 genera in the family are terrestrial ferns or have Lophosoriaceae)
    • Family Metaxyaceae
  • Order Polypodiales
    • Family Lindsaeaceae (incl. The order Polypodiales encompasses the major lineages of polypod Ferns which comprise more than 80% of today's fern species Lindsaeaseae contains genera that were formerly considered part of Dennstaedtiaceae. Cystodiaceae, Lonchitidaceae)
    • Family Saccolomataceae
    • Family Dennstaedtiaceae (incl. Saccolomataceae has been formerly treated as a member of the Dennstaedtiaceae, however it has been classified as its own family according to Smith et al Dennstaedtiaceae is one of fifteen families in the order Polypodiales, the most derived families within monilophytes (ferns Hypolepidaceae, Monachosoraceae, Pteridiaceae)
    • Family Pteridaceae (incl. Dennstaedtiaceae is one of fifteen families in the order Polypodiales, the most derived families within monilophytes (ferns Pteridaceae is a large family of Ferns in the order Pteridales. Acrostichaceae, Actiniopteridaceae, Adiantaceae, Anopteraceae, Antrophyaceae, Ceratopteridaceae, Cheilanthaceae, Cryptogrammaceae, Hemionitidaceae, Negripteridaceae, Parkeriaceae, Platyzomataceae, Sinopteridaceae, Taenitidaceae, Vittariaceae)
    • Family Aspleniaceae
    • Family Thelypteridaceae
    • Family Woodsiaceae (incl. Pteridaceae is a large family of Ferns in the order Pteridales. Pteridaceae is a large family of Ferns in the order Pteridales. Ceratopteris is the only Genus in the family Parkeriaceae, a small Fern family Vittariaceae is a family of Ferns in the order Pteridales. Members of the family are primarily epiphytic in tropical regions and all have simple leaves The Aspleniaceae ( spleenworts) is a family of Ferns included in the order Polypodiales or in some classifications as the only family in the order Thelypteridaceae is a family of about 900 The bulk of the species are tropical although there are a number of temperate species Woodsiaceae or Cliff Fern is a family of Fern within the Athyriales order Athyriaceae, Cystopteridaceae)
    • Family Blechnaceae (incl. Athyriaceae is a family of 12-15 genera of terrestrial Ferns with a Cosmopolitan distribution; it is now included within the Woodsiaceae. Blechnaceae is a family of nine genera and between 240-260 species of Ferns with a Cosmopolitan distribution. Stenochlaenaceae)
    • Family Onocleaceae
    • Family Dryopteridaceae (incl. Onocleaceae is a small family of terrestrial Ferns consisting of five north temperate species distributed among four genera Matteuccia, The Dryopteridaceae is a family of Ferns with a Cosmopolitan distribution. Aspidiaceae, Bolbitidaceae, Elaphoglossaceae, Hypodematiaceae, Peranemataceae)
    • Family Oleandraceae
    • Family Davalliaceae
    • Family Polypodiaceae (incl. Oleandraceae is a family of Ferns consisting of three genera containing approximately 60 species Davalliaceae is a family of polypod Ferns which includes seven genera the species of which grow mostly in the old world tropics or subtropics Polypodiaceae is a family of polypod Ferns which includes more than 60 Genera divided into several tribes and containing around 1000 Drynariaceae, Grammitidaceae, Gymnogrammitidaceae, Loxogrammaceae, Platyceriaceae, Pleurisoriopsidaceae)

Economic uses

Ferns are not as important economically as seed plants but have considerable importance. Polypodiaceae is a family of polypod Ferns which includes more than 60 Genera divided into several tribes and containing around 1000 Polypodiaceae is a family of polypod Ferns which includes more than 60 Genera divided into several tribes and containing around 1000 Polypodiaceae is a family of polypod Ferns which includes more than 60 Genera divided into several tribes and containing around 1000 Polypodiaceae is a family of polypod Ferns which includes more than 60 Genera divided into several tribes and containing around 1000 Polypodiaceae is a family of polypod Ferns which includes more than 60 Genera divided into several tribes and containing around 1000 Polypodiaceae is a family of polypod Ferns which includes more than 60 Genera divided into several tribes and containing around 1000 Some ferns are used for food, including the fiddleheads of bracken, Pteridium aquilinum, ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris, and cinnamon fern, Osmunda cinnamomea]. Brackens ( Pteridium) are a genus of about ten species of large coarse Ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. The Ostrich fern or Shuttlecock fern ( Matteuccia struthiopteris) is a crown-forming colony-forming Fern, occurring in temperate regions of the Cinnamon Fern ( Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) is a species of Eusporangiate Fern in the family Osmundaceae. Diplazium esculentum is also used by some tropical peoples as food. Vegetable fern ( Diplazium esculentum) is an edible Fern found throughout Asia and Oceania.

Ferns of the genus Azolla are very small, floating plants that do not look like ferns. Azolla ( mosquito fern, duckweed fern, fairy moss, water fern) is a Genus of seven species of aquatic Called mosquito fern, they are used as a biological fertilizer in the rice paddies of southeast Asia, taking advantage of their ability to fix nitrogen from the air into compounds that can then be used by other plants. Azolla ( mosquito fern, duckweed fern, fairy moss, water fern) is a Genus of seven species of aquatic Nitrogen fixation is the process by which Nitrogen is taken from its natural relatively inert molecular form (N2 in the atmosphere and converted into

A great many ferns are grown in horticulture as landscape plants, for cut foliage and as houseplants, especially the Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata). Horticulture is the art and science of plant cultivation Horticulturists (or horticuluralists) work and conduct research in the fields of Plant propagation The Sword Fern ( Nephrolepis exaltata) is a species of Fern in the family Lomariopsidaceae (sometimes treated in the families Davalliaceae The Bird's Nest Fern, Asplenium nidus, is also popular, and the staghorn ferns, genus Platycerium, have a considerable following.

Several ferns are noxious weeds or invasive species, including Japanese climbing fern (Lygodium japonicum), mosquito fern and sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis). WEED (1390 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Spanish format Introduced species|Weed Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions Lygodium ( climbing fern) is a genus of about 40 species of Ferns native to tropical regions across the world with a few temperate species in eastern The Sensitive fern ( Onoclea sensibilis) also known as the Bead fern, is a coarse-textured medium to large-sized perennial Fern. Giant water fern (Salvinia molesta) is one of the world's worst aquatic weeds. The important fossil fuel coal consists of the remains of primitive plants, including ferns.

Ferns have been studied and found to be useful in the removal of heavy metals, especially arsenic, from the soil^[3]

Other ferns with some economic significance include:

• Dryopteris filix-mas (male fern), used as a vermifuge, and formerly in the US Pharmacopeia; also, this fern accidentally sprouting in a bottle resulted in Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward's 1829 invention of the terrarium or Wardian case
• Rumohra adiantoides (floral fern), extensively used in the florist trade
• Osmunda regalis (royal fern) and Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern), the root fiber being used horticulturally; the fiddleheads of O. Dryopteris filix-mas ( Common Male Fern or Male Fern) is one of the most common ferns of the temperate Northern Hemisphere, occurring throughout Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are drugs that expel parasitic Worms ( Helminths) from the body by either stunning or killing them The United States Pharmacopeia is an official public standards–setting authority for all prescription and over–the–counter medicines and other health care products manufactured The Wardian case the direct forerunner of the modern Terrarium (and the inspiration for the glass Aquarium) was invented by Dr Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward Floristry is the general term used to describe the professional floral trade Osmunda is a Genus of primarily temperate-zone Ferns of family Osmundaceae. Osmunda is a Genus of primarily temperate-zone Ferns of family Osmundaceae. cinnamomea are also used as a cooked vegetable
• Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern), the fiddleheads used as a cooked vegetable in North America
• Pteridium aquilinum (bracken), the fiddleheads used as a cooked vegetable in Japan and are believed to be responsible for the high rate of stomach cancer in Japan. The Ostrich fern or Shuttlecock fern ( Matteuccia struthiopteris) is a crown-forming colony-forming Fern, occurring in temperate regions of the Brackens ( Pteridium) are a genus of about ten species of large coarse Ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. It is also one of the world's most important agricultural weeds, especially in the British highlands, and often poisons cattle and horses.
• Diplazium esculentum (vegetable fern), a source of food for some native societies
• Pteris vittata (brake fern), used to absorb arsenic from the soil
• Polypodium glycyrrhiza (licorice fern), roots chewed for their pleasant flavor
• Tree ferns, used as building material in some tropical areas
• Cyathea cooperi (Australian tree fern), an important invasive species in Hawaii
• Ceratopteris richardii, a model plant for teaching and research, often called C-fern

Cultural connotations

Blätter des Manns Walfarn. Vegetable fern ( Diplazium esculentum) is an edible Fern found throughout Asia and Oceania. Pteris ( brake) is a genus of about 280 species of Ferns native to tropical and subtropical regions of the world Arsenic (ˈɑrsənɪk is a Chemical element that has the symbol As and Atomic number of 33 The order Cyatheales is a Taxonomic division of the Fern subclass Cyatheatae, which includes the tree ferns. Cyathea cooperi, also known as the Australian tree fern, lacy tree fern, scaly tree fern, or Cooper’s tree fern, is a medium-to-large Ceratopteris is the only Genus in the family Parkeriaceae, a small Fern family by Alois Auer, Vienna: Imperial Printing Office, 1853

In Slavic folklore, ferns are believed to bloom once a year, during the Ivan Kupala night. Alois Auer, born 1813 in Wels Austria, died 11 June 1869 was a printer inventor and botanical illustrator most active during the 1840s and 1850s Slavic mythology is the Mythological aspect of the Religion that was practised by the ancient Slavs. Although it's exceedingly difficult to find, anyone who takes a look of a fern flower will be happy and rich for the rest of his life. The fern flower is a Magic flower in Baltic mythology (eg Papardes zieds Sõnajalaõis and Slavic mythology (Kwiat paproci Цветок папоротника Similarly in Finland, the tradition holds that one who finds the seed of a fern in bloom on Midsummer night, will by the possession of it be able to travel under a glamour of invisibility and shall be guided to the locations where eternally blazing Will o' the wisps mark the spot of hidden treasure caches. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice The will-o'-the-wisp, sometimes will-o'-wisp or ignis fatuus (modern Latin, from ignis ("fire" + fatuus Treasure (from Greek θησαυρος Thesaurus, meaning "a treasure of the chest" is a Cognate) is a concentration of riches often one

Ferns were popular as a decorative motif in Victorian England, the designs frequently appeared on crockery, glassware, cast iron objects, and textiles. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities The fashion for growing ferns indoors led to the development of the Wardian case, a glazed cabinet that would exclude air pollutants and maintain the necessary humidity. The Wardian case the direct forerunner of the modern Terrarium (and the inspiration for the glass Aquarium) was invented by Dr Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward

Fractal fern created using chaos game, through an Iterated function system (IFS). A fractal is generally "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts each of which is (at least approximately a reduced-size copy of the whole" In Mathematics, the term chaos game, as coined by Michael Barnsley, originally referred to a method of creating a Fractal, using a Polygon In Mathematics, iterated function systems or IFS s are a method of constructing Fractals the resulting constructions are always Self-similar.

The dried form of ferns was also used in other arts, being used a stencil or directly inked for use in a design. The botanical work, The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland, is a notable example of this type of nature printing. The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland was a book published in 1855 that featured 51 plates of Nature printing by Henry Bradbury. Nature printing is a printing process developed in the nineteenth century that uses the plants animals rocks and other natural subjects to produce an image The process, patented by the artist and publisher Henry Bradbury, impressed a specimen on to a soft lead plate. The first publication to demonstrate this was Alois Auer's The Discovery of the Nature Printing-Process. Alois Auer, born 1813 in Wels Austria, died 11 June 1869 was a printer inventor and botanical illustrator most active during the 1840s and 1850s

Medicinal Value

Ferns are sometimes used in medicine to treat cuts and clean them out. Ferns are also good bandages if you are stuck out in the wild.

Misunderstood names

Several non-fern plants are called "ferns" and are sometimes confused with true ferns. These include:

• "Asparagus fern" - This may apply to one of several species of the monocot genus Asparagus, which are flowering plants. Monocotyledons or monocots are one of two major groups of Flowering plants (angiosperms that are traditionally recognised the other being Dicotyledons Asparagus officinalis is a flowering plant species in the genus Asparagus from which the Vegetable known as asparagus is obtained
• "Sweetfern" - A flowering shrub of the genus Comptonia. Comptonia is a Monotypic genus (containing only Comptonia peregrina) in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales.
• "Air fern" - A group of animals called hydrozoan that are distantly related to jellyfish and corals. Air fern or "Neptune plant" is a name given to a product that is in fact composed of a Species of Marine animal called Sertularia argentea, also Hydrozoa ( hydrozoans) are a Taxonomic class of very massive predatory animals which can be solitary or colonial and which mostly live in saltwater Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. They have several different basic morphologies that represent several different cnidarian classes including the Corals are Marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small Sea anemone –like Polyps typically in colonies of many They are harvested, dried, dyed green, and then sold as a "plant" that can "live on air". While it may look like a fern, it is merely the skeleton of this colonial animal. In Biology, a colony (from Latin colonia) refers to several individual Organisms of the same Species living closely together usually

In addition, the book Where the Red Fern Grows has elicited many questions about the mythical "red fern" named in the book. Where the Red Fern Grows is a children's novel written by American author Wilson Rawls about a boy who acquires and trains two Redbone Coonhound hunting There is no such known plant, although there has been speculation that the oblique grape-fern, Sceptridium dissectum, could be referred to here, because it is known to appear on disturbed sites and its fronds may redden over the winter. Sceptridium is a genus of seedless Vascular plants closely allied to (and previously often included in the genus Botrychium (the Moonworts

Gallery

Fern leaf, probably Blechnum nudum	A tree fern unrolling a new frond	Tree fern, probably Dicksonia antarctica	Tree ferns, probably Dicksonia antarctica
"Filicinae" from Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur, 1904	Unidentified tree fern in Oaxaca	Tree Fern Spores San Diego, CA	Leaf of fern
Unidentified fern with spores showing in Rotorua, NZ. Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel ( February 16, 1834 — August 9, 1919)also written von Haeckel, was an eminent German Kunstformen der Natur ( German: Art Forms of Nature) is a book of lithographic and Autotype prints by German biologist The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), in Spanish phonemically /oa'xaka/ named for its largest city, is one of the Rotorua is a city on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand, and Rotorua New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island	Ferns in one of many natural Coast Redwood undergrowth settings Santa Cruz, CA. Sequoia sempervirens is the sole living Species of the Genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly Santa Cruz is the County seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California, United States.	Nature prints in The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland used fronds to produce the plates

See also

• Fern spike

References

• Pryer, Kathleen M. , Harald Schneider, Alan R. Smith, Raymond Cranfill, Paul G. Wolf, Jeffrey S. Hunt and Sedonia D. Sipes. 2001. Horsetails and ferns are a monophyletic group and the closest living relatives to seed plants. Nature 409: 618-622 (abstract here).
• Pryer, Kathleen M. , Eric Schuettpelz, Paul G. Wolf, Harald Schneider, Alan R. Smith and Raymond Cranfill. 2004. Phylogeny and evolution of ferns (monilophytes) with a focus on the early leptosporangiate divergences. American Journal of Botany 91:1582-1598 (online abstract here).
• Moran, Robbin C. (2004). A Natural History of Ferns. Portland, OR: Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-667-1.
• Lord, Thomas R. (2006). Ferns and Fern Allies of Pennsylvania. Indiana, PA: Pinelands Press. [1]
• Smith, A. R. , K. M. Pryer, E. Schuettpelz, P. Korall, H. Schneider & P. G. Wolf. 2006. A classification for extant ferns. Taxon 55(3):705–731. online available
• Boyd, Peter D. A. (2002-01-02). See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 366 - The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers invading the Roman Empire. "Pteridomania - the Victorian passion for ferns". Revised: web version. . Antique Collecting 28, 6, 9-12. Retrieved on 2007-10-02. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule

External links

• Tree of Life Web Project: Filicopsida
• A classification of the ferns and their allies
• A fern book bibliography
• Register of fossil Pteridophyta
• L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (2004 onwards). The Ferns (Filicopsida) of the British Isles.
• Ferns and Pteridomania in Victorian Scotland
• Non-seed plant images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
• Ferns in detail, an online book
• "American Fern Society"