SPOROPHYTE 85 



Stem. The stems, which are the inconspicuous part of the 

 fern, grow as rhizomes under or upon the ground and are 

 simple or branched and of very slow growth; they are smooth 

 or scaly, and in some species are covered with the persistent 

 stipe-bases. 



Leaves. The leaves are the most conspicuous part of the 

 fern and they perform the work of photosynthesis, or food 

 building, and spore formation; when they do not produce 

 spores they are sterile leaves; sometimes an entire leaf is 

 spore-bearing, in other ferns only part of a leaf, while in most 

 ferns only the under side of the leaf bears spores; these 

 are enclosed in sporangia arranged in clusters or sori. 



