SPOROPHYTE 



427 



tion of the Fern which people in general know {Fig. 378). 

 There is much range in size of Fern sporophytes, from very small 

 plants hke some that are common in our woods, to those as high 

 as a man's head, and to the Tree Ferns of the tropics and green- 

 houses that may reach a height of forty feet or more. 



The stems of a few Ferns are erect and may become large Uke 

 the trunk of a tree, as the Tree Ferns illustrate (Fig. 379), but in 



Fig. 378. — A fern sporophyte. r, roots; s, stem; a, young leaves or 

 fronds unfolding; I, matiire fronds. After Wossidlo. 



our common Ferns, the stems remain a few inches under the sur- 

 face of the ground and, as they elongate and push horizontally 

 through the soil, leaves are produced from the upper and roots 

 from the lower surface. They are called rootstocks or rhizomes, 

 both terms referring to the root-like feature of growing under 

 the ground. 



The stems of Fern sporophytes are woody and have many of 



