Polypodiophyta

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaIndoor plantsPlant Health CareUncategorized
Written By Peter Morris

Otherwise know as FERNS !

ferns on a forest floor

One of the first plants that grew on the planet ! Ferns have neither flowers nor produce seeds and have a complex method of reproduction. They also mainly reproduce using spores, not seeds.They first appear in the fossil record about 360 million years ago in the late Devonian period. The groups of ferns we see today, did not truly diversify until much later in the Cretaceous. About the same time the rise of flowering plants. 

typical green moss

 This group evolved differently from mosses (Bryophyta) in as much as they are vascular plants - plants with both xylem and phloem. These are specialized tubes that carry water upwards to a leaf (xylem) and back down to the roots (phloem). They also form large complex leaves while mosses make little microphylls. 

LIFE CYCLE

Fern Life Cycle

 The odd life cycle they use involves the production of spores from the adult fern (Sporophyte). You can see these spores on the undersides of leaves or in special spikes. They are usually encased in a membrane like blister called an indusium. 

spores erupted from an indusium

 Spores fly way in the wind and land on a warm moist spot and germinate. These new, special, and very strange looking plants are called a protonema. It is haploid (only one set of chromosomes from the parent) and  technically called a gametophyte (because it produces gametes). 

life cycle with gametophyte

 The flat small new plant will in turn produce both male and female sex organs. Each of these produce a corresponding egg or sperm. The union of these will become a new diploid plant – having a full 2 sets of chromosomes – it is the sporophyte (the adult fern we know). This is the dominant phase. 

USE TODAY

 Ferns are not of major economic importance, but some are used for food, medicine, as bio fertilizer, as ornamental plants, and for remediating contaminated soil. They have been the subject of research for their ability to remove some chemical pollutants from the atmosphere. They also play certain roles in folklore ! 

Fern as food  - fiddlehead fern

 There are 11 groups of ferns most of which are rare or found only in specific habitats. As follows are samples of some of the major groups we do use in gardens today. Equisetopsida (horsetails)

bundled together they were used by the Pilgrims to scrub cooking pots!

Osmundales

this fern produces its spores in clusters on specialized spikes

Cyatheales

Tree Ferns are very common in tropical Rain Forests

Polypodiales This order encompasses the major lineages of polypod (multi footed) ferns, which comprise more than 80% of today's fern species. They are found in many parts of the world including tropical, semitropical and temperate areas.There are so many genus - I cant show them all here !Here are a few: Asplenium

Birds nest fern

Athyrium

Japanese painted fern

Blechnum

spikey Blechnum !

Davallia

rabbits foot fern - LOVE them !

Dryopteris 

always so fluffy and lacy

Nephrolepis 

the always pretty Boston fern - we use it outdoors in summer !

Polypodium

Bear's paw - we use it outdoors in summer but also great as an Indoor plant !

Our Garden Care Team can get you the right fern for your garden !

Call us - we LOVE ferns !

PLANT SPECIALISTSGREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 53 YEARS !

   Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBAAll photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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