Ferns
Ferns
Ferns (/fɜːrnz/; from Old English fearn, meaning "fern") are a group of about 10,560 known extant species of vascular plants that reproduce via spores, lacking flowers and seeds. They belong to the division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta.
Etymology
The term "fern" is derived from the Old English fearn, which means "fern". It is related to the Old High German farn, the Old Norse fjǫrn, and the Dutch varen, all of which also mean "fern".
Classification
Ferns are classified under the division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. This division is part of the kingdom Plantae. Ferns are further divided into four classes, twelve orders, forty families, and about 300 genera.
Characteristics
Ferns are vascular plants that do not produce flowers or seeds. Instead, they reproduce via spores. They have complex leaves called fronds, and their stems are often underground. Ferns are found in a wide range of habitats, from remote mountain elevations to dry desert rock faces, bodies of water, and open fields.
Related Terms
- Frond: The leaf or leaf-like part of a palm, fern, or similar plant.
- Spore: A minute, typically one-celled, reproductive unit capable of giving rise to a new individual without sexual fusion.
- Vascular plant: A plant that has specialized tissues for conducting water, minerals, and photosynthetic products through the plant.
- Pteridophyte: Any of numerous flowerless and seedless vascular plants having true roots from a rhizome and fronds that uncurl upward; reproduce by spores.
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