Fern Allies Fern-allies This section covers the other much more obscure, but evolutionary important, divisions of the 'fern allies'. These plants have a long fossil record, and are usually thought of as the most primitive of all vascular plants. They differ from ferns by lacking the large leaf-like fronds, and by the fact that the spore-containing sporangia are found on the terminal ends of the leaf rather than on the underside, as in most fern species (Jackes and Cairns 2001). Back in the Carboniferous period, even before the dinosaurs, some species in these groups grew as large as trees, and often comprised the dominant vegetation. Today they are found all over the world, but only as small obscure species.
Script: Courtesy of Damon Ramsey BSc.(Zool) Biologist Guide |
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