Ferns

 Ferns!

Basic Fern Information Ferns are the most numerous phylum of seedless vascular plants. They are closely realted to Horsetails and Club Mosses. Members of the phylum Pterophyta, ferns evolved approximately 350 million years ago, and similiar plants use to cover the earth in huge forests. They have survived better than any other plant, with 11,000 species of ferns remaining today. Habitiat Ferns tend to grow in wet or damp environments, usually without much sunlight. They are commonly found growing underneath larger trees in the pacific northwest and in the tropics.

Physical Features Ferns consist of vascular tissue, strong roots, creeping underground stems called rhizomes, and delicate, large leaves called fronds. Life Cycle Ferns have a life cycle in which the dominant stage is "diploid sporophyte." Haploid spores are contained om the under side in small containers called "sporangia," which are grouped into clusters called sori. The spores germinate forming gameophytes. A thin flim of water is needed for fertilization, to allow the sperm to reach the eggs. The diploid zygote develops into a mature sporophyte and the gameophyte withers away. In some species, the fronds die in the winter while the rhisomes survive from year to year.