fern

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Observe how the sporophytic fern appears to unfurl upward as it grows from its rhizome

fern life cycle

fern life cycle

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Plant seedlings emerging from rich fertile soil

Do Plants Feel Pain?

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Lake Mead (the impounded Colorado River) at the Hoover Dam. The light-coloured band of rock above the shoreline shows the decrease in water level in the first few years of the 21st century.

6 Lakes That Are Drying Up

pulmonary veins and arteries, circulation, cardiovascular system, human anatomy, (Netter replacement project - SSC)

13 Questions About How the Human Body Works Answered

Time zone map with standard time zones and International Date Line

Why Are Some Time Zones 30 Minutes Off Instead of an Hour?

Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

Salem Witch Trials. Photogravure after the painting by Walter McEwen titled - The Witches - circa 1890s.

How Rye Bread May Have Caused the Salem Witch Trials

Scolex (head) of the tapeworm Taenia solium. The hooks of the scolex enable the tapeworm to attach to the intestinal wall.

Uninvited Guests: The 7 Worst Parasitic Worms

San Francisco, California/USA-1/18/20: Womens March at Civic Center marching with signs of political protest regarding equality also embracing 2020 presidential candidates and celebrating equality

How Does the U.S. Government Define the Difference Between a Protest and a Riot?

fern: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	true fern • Filicophyta • Polypodiopsida

Photos and Videos

fern life cycle

fern life cycle

fern gametophytes

Observe how the sporophytic fern appears to unfurl upward as it grows from its rhizome

Why do ferns prefer the shade?

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Topics

sun fern Marattiidae Psilotopsida Polypodiidae Equisetopsida Sphenophyllales Pseudoborniales Hyeniales Equisetales Marattiales angiosperm conifer cycadophyte gnetophyte lycophyte ginkgophyte moss hornwort liverwort Cycadeoidophyta

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Hooker, Sir William Jackson

Sir William Jackson Hooker

British botanist

Frederick Orpen Bower, detail of an oil painting by Sir William Orpen; in the University of Glasgow Art Collections

Frederick Orpen Bower

English botanist

Douglas Campbell

Douglas Houghton Campbell

American botanist

Quiz

Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap

Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous

Demystified

Plant seedlings emerging from rich fertile soil

Do Plants Feel Pain?