BOTA1522 Applied Plant

Morphology and Identification

Lecture 18: Ferns and Allies 1
Trisha Needham, RPFT
Agenda
1. Pteridophytes
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

2. Spores
3. Polypodiaceae
1. Pteridophytes
Lecture 18: Ferns and Allies 1

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

 Flora of Alberta (page 8)
Division (Phyla), Subdivisions, and Classes:
1. Plants reproducing by spores Division Pteridophyta (ferns & allies) p. 8

Plants reproducing by seeds Division Spermatophyta (seed plants) Q. 2

2. Trees or shrubs, leaves needle like, mostly evergreen Subdiv. Gymnospermae; Class Coniferae pg. 9
The conifers: e.g., spruce, pine, tamarack

Trees, shrubs or herbs, various leaves, deciduous Subdiv. Angiospermae Q. 3

Flowering plants e.g., roses, aspen
3. Leaves usually parallel veined; flower parts usually
in 3’s or 6’s, never in 5s, herbs (rarely shrubby) Class Monocotyledoneae (e.g., lilies)

Leaves usually net-veined; flower parts usually in

5’s or 4’s, herbs, shrubs, or trees Class Dicotyledoneae (e.g., strawberries)
 Pteridophytes – Fern and Fern Allies
In Flora of Alberta: Division Pteridophyta
Includes the following families
• Polypodiaceae, the ferns
• Lycopodiaceae, the club-moss family
• Equisetaceae, the horsetail family
• Isoetaceae, the quillwort family
• Selaginellaceae, the little club-moss family
• Marsileaceae, the Marsilea (water ferns)
• Ophioglossaceae, the adder’s tongue family
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
 What are Fern and Fern Allies?

• Seedless vascular plants

• Have xylem (water and
nutrients) and phloem
(photosynthates)
• No seeds; reproduce by spores
• Chlorophyll
Botrychium crenulatum
scallopped moonwort This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under
https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/imgs/512x768/0000_0000/0816/0681.jpeg
CC BY-NC
 Importance of Lycophyte Trees and Ferns
Extinct genera:
• Lepidodendron
• Sigillaria
• Protolepidodendron
• Found in the Carboniferous Period (coal
age) from 362-290 million years ago
• Form some of the largest coal beds on
the planet
• Fun fact: included giant extinct horsetails
called “calamites” that were up to 1m in
diameter and 30m tall! This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
Pittermann J. et al. (2015) The Structure and Function of Xylem in Seed-Free Vascular Plants: An Evolutionary Perspective. In: Hacke U.
(eds) Functional and Ecological Xylem Anatomy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15783-2_1
2. Spores
Lecture 18: Ferns and Allies 1

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

 Spores in Pteridophytes

Depends on the family

https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-
1000s1000/Onocleaceae/matteuccia-struthiopteris-so-bpatterson.jpg
• In a strobilus (strobili, plural)
• Fertile fronds
• Under the leaves
• In grape-like clusters
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50251740361_edfd8bc954_n.jpg

https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/fern-spores-picture-
id185983961?k=20&m=185983961&s=612x612&w=0&h=wvO2aiNpghcc6yR_M
http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=1263
 Seeds vs. Spores
• Seeds are produced in
conifers (pine, spruce,
cedar) and flowering plants
(grasses, oak, daisies, etc.)
• Spores are produced in
fungi, bryophytes, and ferns
• Structurally and
developmentally, spores
and seeds are different
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
 Spores in Ferns
• Sorus: a cluster of sporangia
• Sporangium: contains spores
• Indusium: a flap of tissue that protects the
sori, shrivels up when spores are mature

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/ferns/images/structure/ferns-indusia-spores.png
Sori vs. Sporangium vs. Spores

Sporangium
Sorus

Spore

Sporangium https://botanycompanion.wordpress.com/lesson-4-ferns-and-fern-allies/
 Simplified Life Cycle

(gametophyte)

https://laidbackgardener.blog/2017/02/12/grow-your-own-ferns-from-spores/
 Heterosporous vs. Homosporous
• Heterosporous: two different • Homosporous: all spores the
sized spores same size
Microspores

Megaspores

Two different
types of spores
= two different
types of https://phdessay.com/general-biology-ii-midterm-lab-practical-valencia-college-spring-2017/

gametophytes, All spores are the same = one type of

unisexual gametophyte, bisexual (both male and
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/10/b8/b0/10b8b00e70c3cb84c339048b208540de.jpg female organs on same gametophyte)
3. Polypodiaceae
Lecture 18: Ferns and Allies 1

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

 Polypodiaceae – the Ferns
• Large family with great diversity
• 17 genera in Flora
• All fronds arising from rhizomes
• Identifying features:
• Fronds that are complete or divided
• How leaflets (pinnae) are attached
• Fertile or sterile fronds
• Shape and location of sori
• Presence/absence of indusia
• Size of fern
• Habitat
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
 Polypodiacaea – the Ferns

Matteucciastruthiopteris Botrychium crenulatum Crytopteris fragilis

ostrich fern
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/aJGReioAXuXJOrAW_ZOZoKHAkLAHkGOgYtsyMJfTVfoNQDQo
CsZwQ-NLX_DwCy4jXkJmqjEQXgXbfJDvQSVMvmE3xAkDdWWDsMKaZvrMnaoQkyam7jGfV-390VyVzA
dainty moonwort brittle bladderfern
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/QDzuU_PLBqS - https://ricardapaetsch.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/0/2/130298834/cystopteris-fragilis-brittle-bladderfern-6
9OTFNlmiZMvXOXbxPEdwQ2CcKNB_Fq0hErMV8ARzOvStxLdHWj8rJzTapiV
e6cvMQfXFtTafXJJ_fsWA1YQhlfe7zE7BsZu-
bVzXeZda6KL6ylrycVdHEnvvojLTX0BUcIUEXEl8hbllrFiTkEnE0ic
https://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/herbarium/pteridophytes/pteridophyte_glossary01.htm
https://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/herbarium/pteridophytes/pteridophyte_glossary01.htm
 Frond Division

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/ferns/images/structure/frond_silhouettes.gif
 Athyrium filix-femina
lady fern
https://www.greentimbers.ca/vegetation-wildlife/vegetation/ferns/lady-fern/

Gymnocarpium dryopteris Polypodium virginianum

oak fern rock polypody
https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/tennessee-native-ferns-grasses-sedges-groundcovers-
https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/gymnocarpium/dryopteris aquatic-and-wetland-species/deck/16027421
 Sterile and Fertile Fronds
• Sterile frond – lacking sporangia
• Fertile frond – with sporangia

• Called “dimorphic”
• Dimorphism can vary in ferns
• In some species it is hard to tell the
difference
• In other species, they look very
different

https://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity-old/herbarium/pteridophytes/fern_intro01.htm
Matteuccia struthiopteris (L.) Todaro – ostrich fern

Sterile fronds

Fertile fronds

https://encrypted-
tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRXwrzqazaTxMXyLTR8BZZIPTZIq7i_q8wG
qA&usqp=CAU
https://media.sciencephoto.com/c0/41/00/81/c0410081-800px-wm.jpg
 Indusium: A protecting membrane covering the developing spores of a fern

Cystopteris fragilis (L.) Bernh. Gymnocarpium dryopteris (L.) Newm.

brittle bladderfern oak fern
http://hardyfernlibrary.com/ferns/listSpecies.cfm?Genus=Cystopteris http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Gymnocarpium_dryopteris

Indusium Present Indusium Absent

https://www.fiercereptiles.org/Teaching/BIOL3316/Lectures/07/07_Seedless_Vascular_Plants.pdf
1. In sorus,
2. Mature spores
immature
released,
sporogenous
germinate to
tissue undergoes
young
meiosis
gametophyte

3. Archegonium
(female) and
antheridium (male)
on same
gametophyte,
fertilization occurs
5. Sporophyte
grows unto
mature
sporophyte,
fern fronds with
sori underneath
4. Zygote, then young
embryo, the first leaf
forms on gametophyte
https://gardenriots.com/2018/02/19/evolution-speciation-and-what-it-means-
to-the-new-phylogeny-a-primer-for-gardeners/pteridophyte-life-cycle/
Matteuccia struthiopteris
ostrich fern

Athyrium filix-femina
lady fern
https://s3.amazonaws.com/eit-planttoolbox-prod/media/images/Athyrium-filix-femina--Peggy-A-Lopipero-Langmo--CC-BY.jpg

https://cdn.shoplightspeed.com/shops/616510/files/7334882/1600x2048x1/matteuccia-struthiopteris-1-
native-fern.jpg
 Upcoming
Classes!
Lecture 19: Ferns
and Allies 2

Lab 10: Winter

Twigs
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

Thank you!
Trisha Needham, RPFT
trishag@nait.ca
• Athyrium Filix-Femina. Athyrium filix-femina(Asplenium Lady Fern, Common Lady Fern, Lady Fern, Subarctic Lady Fern, Tatting Fer) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/athyrium-filix-femina/

• Biology. Tennessee Native Ferns, Grasses, Sedges, Groundcovers, Aquatic and Wetland Species Flashcards | Chegg.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/tennessee-native-ferns-grasses-sedges-groundcovers-
aquatic-and-wetland-species/deck/16027421

• Calphotos. CalPhotos. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/

• Cystopterisfragilis (fragile fern). Minnesota Wildflowers. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/fern/fragile-fern

• Gymnocarpium Dryopteris - northern oak fern. Native Plant Trust: Go Botany. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/gymnocarpium/dryopteris/

• Hodgson, L. (2020, November 20). Grow your own ferns... from spores!Laidback Gardener. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://laidbackgardener.blog/2017/02/12/grow-your-own-ferns-from-spores/

• Lady Fern. Green Timbers Heritage Society. (2016, November 29). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.greentimbers.ca/vegetation-wildlife/vegetation/ferns/lady-fern/

• Lecture 07 seedless vascular plants. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.fiercereptiles.org/Teaching/BIOL3316/L ectures/07/P07.1.html

• MatteucciaStruthiopteris #1 native fern. Wagon Wheel. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://wagon-wheel.shoplightspeed.com/matteuccia-struthiopteris-1.html

• Pittermann, J., Watkins, J. E., Cary, K. L., Schuettpelz, E., Brodersen, C., Smith, A. R., & Baer, A. (1970, January 1). The structure and function of xylem in seed-free vascular plants: An evolutionary perspective. SpringerLink. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-15783-2_1

• Presl., (W. C., & Roth, (L. (n.d.). Athyrium angustum. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://ct-botanical-society.org/plants/Plants/view/2696

• Pteridophyte life cycle. GardenRiots. (2018, January 27). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://gardenriots.com/2018/02/19/evolution-speciation-and-what-it-means-to-the-new-phylogeny-a-primer-for-gardeners/pteridophyte-life-cycle/

• Pteridophytes of wisconsin: Basic terms. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity-old/herbarium/pteridophytes/fern_intro01.htm

• Pteridophytes of Wisconsin: Glossary. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity-old/herbarium/pteridophytes/pteridophyte_glossary01.htm

• says:, J. B., says:, G. R., & says:, M. S. (2018, May 8). Lesson 4. Ferns and fern allies. Botany Companion. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://botanycompanion.wordpress.com/lesson-4-ferns-and-fern-allies/

• Science Photo Library. Science Photo Gallery. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://sciencephotogallery.com/

• Seinet Portal Network - Botrychium Echo. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=1263

• Stuart, T. (n.d.). Cystopteris. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from http://hardyfernlibrary.com/ferns/listSpecies.cfm?Genus=Cystopteris

• U.S. Forest Service. Forest Service Shield. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/beauty/ferns/structure.shtml

• U.S. Forest Service. Forest Service Shield. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/beauty/ferns/structure.shtml