Ferns

General Characteristics 

• Ferns are vascular plants, meaning they have the vascular tissues needed to transport water and nutrients they need to help them grow much bigger compared to plants that lack these vascular tissues.
• They prefer to live in a moist environment as they still require water for reproduction (their sperm cells are flagellated and still require water to get to the egg cell).
• In ferns, their dominant stage is the sporophyte stage, although both gametophyte and sporophyte can live independently as they are both photosynthetic and can produce energy for themselves
• Ferns have true roots, stems and leaves which also aid in the plant's growth

Samples & Species

Western Swordfern

Owl Park, May 12 1:57 PM

The Western Swordfern grows in bunches, its arrangement of leaflets appearing similar to a palm tree. This species is native to North America, and prefers to grow in moist areas surrounded by trees. Their fronds can grow very tall, reaching heights around 90-180 cm tall. In this photo, small clusters of sporangia called sori can be seen on the underside of this fern's frond. Their dagger shaped leaflets are what give this fern the name "Western Swordfern", its scientific name being Polystichum Munitum.

Common Lady Fern

Bear-Creek Park, May 21 11:36 AM

The leaves (fronds) of this fern species has a feathery appearance. The plant is usually a shade of vibrant green, but can turn into a more yellow colour in the colder seasons. This fern prefers to grow in moist woods or near ravines, and is also grown for decoration. The Common Lady Fern is native to many areas in North America and some places in Europe and Asia. Though they may not grow as tall as some other ferns, the spread of their leaves could be up to 30 to 75 cm wide. Upon further research, it is said that the growth of Common Lady Ferns are a positive sign of moisture rich-soil.

Adaptations

The leafy part of the fern (the fronds) contain a green pigment called chlorophyll which allows for the plant to absorb more sunlight to turn into energy. Compared to mosses, the structure of a fern is much larger therefore allowing for more absorption of sunlight and resulting in a greater production of nutrients for the fern to grow. Ferns also have a greater reproduction advantage, as they have structures called sori which are essentially clusters of sporangia containing hundreds of spores. When spores from the sporangia, they have a higher chance of reproducing because of a mass amount of them being released all at once. Ferns can also survive in dry areas, unlike mosses which need water in their environment in order for them to survive. When living in areas without water, ferns can remain dormant until water is available to them for reproduction  as their sperm cells are flagellate and require water to swim to and fertilize the female egg cell.