Chapter H.— FERNS. 



Ferns have leaves, roots, and stems like ordinary green 

 plants, but neither flowers nor seeds. Instead of these, they 

 have reproductive bodies known as spores, which generally 

 occur on the undersurface of the leaves. 



In height, ferns vary greatly; some are small, hardly 

 rising above the ground, while others are treelike in size. 

 Young leaves are often fuzzy and hairy and curled like a 

 question mark. 



Ferns are most often found in cool, shady places along 

 the banks of brooks and streams or in the shade of the 

 forest. In the Philippines, the young stems of some ferns 

 (ex. paco) are sold in the market for food, and the stems 

 of others furnish good industrial fibers. 



(a) TWINING FERNS. 



The term "nito" is commonly applied to all "twining" 

 ferns. Filipinos speak of different kinds of nito, but have 

 no special name for each kind. These various kinds cor- 

 respond to the different species of Lygodium.^ 



The species of Lygodium have underground rootlike 

 stems (rhizomes) and stems above the ground of indefinite 

 grov\i;h. They are found in the Tropics of both hemispheres 

 and extend to New Zealand, Japan, and the New England 

 States of the United States of America. 



NITO. 



{Lygodium spp.; L. circinnatum; L. flexuosum; L. japonicum; L. 

 semihastatum.) 



The most common nito, occurring throughout the Philip- 

 pines, is Lygodium circinnatum.- In this species, the 

 petioles arising from the main stem generally divide into 

 two equal parts. Each of the two smaller petioles bears a 



* The name Lygodium is derived from the Greek word meaning 

 "twining." 



' Nito {Lygodium circinnatum) : Nito (Antique, Bohol, Cagayan, Ca- 

 marines, Capiz, Cavite, Cebu, Ilocos Norte and Sur, Iloilo, Isabela, 

 Laguna, Leyte, Misamis, Occidental Negros, Oriental Negros, Pan- 

 gasinan, Sorsogon, Surigao, Tayabas, Union, Zambales) ; agsam 

 (Albay) ; naui (Zamboanga). 



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