Ferns

Ferns are very spectacular types of plants. It has been recorded that they have lasted/been around for 300 million years already, maybe even more! Ferns are even older than the dinosaurs, which the dinosaurs and the ferns were both in the Mesozoic Era. Ferns have been dated to go back up to the Carboniferous period. The Carboniferous period was a time where there was a very large surplus of coal around the lands, which at the time and what is now known as Pangaea. The reason why this time period is called “Carboniferous” is because Carboniferous stands for “coal-bearing” which fits this time period perfectly because of the fact that there was, as stated above, “a large surplus of coal. Now, the Mesozoic Era is called “Mesozoic” because it means “middle life” in Greek terms and the time period where the continents were beginning to separate.

It has been reported that “over 20,000 species of ferns” have grown throughout all the regions of the globe. Knowing this and the fact that Ferns have lasted for over 300 million years, it is safe to say that Ferns in general, have come a long way. A few of the “20,000 species of ferns” and more are: Lady Ferns, Sensitive Ferns, Cinnamon Ferns, Bracken Ferns, and Staghorn Ferns. In Victorian times, it was very popular to find Lady Ferns in dwellings. They are currently located in deciduous forests in North America and Eurasia. Sensitive Ferns got their name because they were extremely unaccustomed to the winter season. So, they are located in wet marshlands and humid forests. Cinnamon Ferns are named “Cinnamon Ferns” because the color of their fiddleheads is the same color of Cinnamon. Bracken Ferns are located anywhere but Antarctica, and are supposedly “destructive” in archaeological #|locations because of their tendency to harm them. Staghorn Ferns grow on trees and are found in Asia and South America. -Lady Ferns - Sensitive Ferns - Cinnamon Ferns - Bracken Ferns - Staghorn Ferns

There are around seven parts to a Fern. There is the Sori, the Pinna, the Rachis, the Fronds, the Stalk, the Rhizome, and the Roots. The roots are the foundation of the ferns and other plants, and also provide the plant/fern with food and water. From the roots, comes the Rhizome. The Fern/Plant grows from the Rhizome. After the Rhizome, come the Stalk. The Stalk is the stem of the Fern/Plant, which gives the both of them their “backbone”, which is what, keeps them up straight. The Rachis is another name for the Stalk, but the Rachis is where the Frond grows from. Now this is where the Ferns and Plants characteristic similarities, separate at. The Frond looks like a leaf, but in reality, it is not. The Frond is actually leaflets that are called Pinna. Finally, the Sori are located on the Pinna, and what the Sori’s actually are, are the Spores. The Spores are similar to seeds in the sense that this is where the Ferns are born, whereas the seeds are where Plants are born. The Spores are single cells that are full with nutrients from which a Fern can grow from.

Plants reproduce through asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction. In asexual reproduction, a plant is able to make another plant by itself, whereas in sexual reproduction, two cells from different plants or humans are united to make the first cell of the new organism. Ferns reproduce using the asexual reproduction function. The amount of time for how long asexual reproduction takes place is relatively shorter than that of sexual reproduction, which is not only good for the plants but also for farmers, so that they can have crops to sell and receive income. Ferns reproduce using asexual reproduction because since they born spores, the spores contain gametes, which are the sperm and eggs. In order for the spore to be able to allow the gametes to reproduce within itself, the Spore will need water. Ferns live in damp and moist environments not only to survive, but also to allow the sperm to move after the spores germinate and turn into gametophytes. After the spore turns into a gamete and water is available to the living thing, the sperm begins to move and begin the reproduction process within the spore, well at the time while the sexual reproduction is taking place, the gamete.