CHAPTER XXVI 
FERNS AND THEIR ALLIES 
284. The Group. — The ferns are the best-known mem¬ 
bers of this group, but club mosses and rushes (horsetails) 
also belong to the fern family. The study of coal mines has 
shown us that ferns are very old plants and that they were 
formerly much more numerous than at the present time. 
The plants of this group 
have real stems, roots, 
and leaves, and most of 
them are larger than the 
mosses. While the ferns 
are not so dependent 
upon water as the mosses, 
they grow best in cool, 
moist woods and in rich 
soil. 
285. A Typical Fern. — 
The fern named pteris or 
bracken (Figure 305) is 
one of the best known 
and most widely distrib¬ 
uted. The stem proper 
is underground and lives on from year to year, while the 
part above earth renews itself annually. Some of these 
stems reach a length of ten or fifteen feet. They branch 
out and give off many fine roots. Leaves, termed fronds, 
form from the upper surface.of the stem and grow up through 
the soil into the air. 
Figure 303 . — Forked Veins of Fern 
Leaf. 
333 
