A frond is a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group. Other botanists allow the term frond to also apply to the large leaves of cycads, as well as palms (Arecaceae) and various other flowering plants, such as mimosa or sumac. "Frond" is commonly used to identify a large, compound leaf, but if the term is used botanically to refer to the leaves of ferns and algae it may be applied to smaller and undivided leaves.
Dicksonia antarctica, the soft tree fern or man fern, is a species of evergreen tree fern native to eastern Australia, ranging from south-east Queensland, coastal New South Wales and Victoria to Tasmania.
Onoclea is a genus of plants in the family Onocleaceae, native to moist habitats in eastern Asia and eastern North America. They are deciduous ferns with sterile fronds arising from creeping rhizomes in spring, dying down at first frost. Fertile fronds appear in late summer. Depending on the authority, the genus contains one to five species.
Lomaria is a genus of ferns belonging to the family Blechnaceae.
Water fern is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
Polystichum acrostichoides, commonly denominated Christmas fern, is a perennial, evergreen fern native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to Florida and eastern Texas. It is one of the most common ferns in eastern North America, being found in moist and shady habitats in woodlands, stream banks and rocky slopes. The common name derives from the evergreen fronds, which are often still green at Christmas.
Frond dimorphism refers to a difference in ferns between the fertile and sterile fronds. Since ferns, unlike flowering plants, bear spores on the leaf blade itself, this may affect the form of the frond itself. In some species of ferns, there is virtually no difference between the fertile and sterile fronds, such as in the genus Dryopteris, other than the mere presence of the sori, or fruit-dots, on the back of the fronds. Some other species, such as Polystichum acrostichoides, or some ferns of the genus Osmunda, feature dimorphism on a portion of the frond only. Others, such as some species of Blechnum and Woodwardia, have fertile fronds that are markedly taller than the sterile. Still others, such as Osmunda cinnamomea, or plants of the family Onocleaceae, have fertile fronds that are completely different from the sterile.
Blechnum, known as hard fern, is a genus of ferns in the family Blechnaceae, subfamily Blechnoideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016. Two very different circumscriptions of the genus are used by different authors. In the PPG I system, based on Gasper et al. (2016), Blechnum is one of 18 genera in the subfamily Blechnoideae, and has about 30 species. Other sources use a very broadly defined Blechnum s.l., including accepting only two other genera in the subfamily. The genus then has about 250 species. In the PPG I circumscription, the genus is mostly neotropical, with a few southern African species.
Struthiopteris spicant, syn. Blechnum spicant, is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae, known by the common names hard-fern or deer fern. It is native to Europe, western Asia, northern Africa, and western North America. Like some other species in the family Blechnaceae, it has two types of leaves. The sterile leaves have flat, wavy-margined leaflets 5 to 8 millimeters wide, while the fertile leaves have much narrower leaflets, each with two thick rows of sori on the underside.
Neoblechnum is a genus of ferns in the family Blechnaceae, subfamily Blechnoideae, with a single species Neoblechnum brasiliense, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016. The genus is accepted in a 2016 classification of the family Blechnaceae, but other sources sink it into a very broadly defined Blechnum, equivalent to the whole of the PPG I subfamily; the species is then known as Blechnum brasiliense. It is called Brazilian dwarf tree fern, red Brazilian tree fern, and red dwarf tree fern.
Cranfillia fluviatilis, synonym Blechnum fluviatile, is a fern known in the Māori language as kiwikiwi. A herbaceous plant, C. fluviatilis is a "hard fern" of the genus Cranfillia in the family Blechnaceae. It was identified by Patrick Brownsey in 1979. Other common names are star fern, creek fern, kawakawa and kiwakiwa.
Austroblechnum durum, synonym Blechnum durum, is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae. The fern is endemic to New Zealand.
Platycerium bifurcatum, the elkhorn fern or common staghorn fern, is a species of fern native to Java, New Guinea and eastern Australia, in New South Wales, Queensland and on Lord Howe Island. It is a bracket epiphyte occurring in and near rainforests. Growing to 90 cm (35 in) tall by 80 cm (31 in) broad, it has heart-shaped sterile fronds 12–45 cm (5–18 in) long, and arching grey-green fertile fronds which are forked and strap-shaped, and grow up to 90 cm (35 in) long.
Parablechnum wattsii, synonym Blechnum wattsii, is a common terrestrial fern growing in rainforest and open forest. It is often seen near creeks in much of south eastern Australia, including Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. The specific epithet wattsii honours William Walter Watts (1856-1920). Watts was considered an authority on mosses and ferns and has more than 30 species named for him. Common names by which the species may be called are hard water fern - from its stiff leathery fronds, leech fern - as forest workers often encounter leaches while working in clusters of these ferns, hard hill fern - from the fern's habit and habitat, and red cabbage fern - from the bronze-pink colour of the young fronds resembling cooked red cabbage.
Oceaniopteris cartilaginea, synonym Blechnum cartilagineum, is known as the gristle fern or soft water fern. It is a resilient and abundant fern growing in eastern Australia, seen in rainforest and eucalyptus forest. The new growth is often pink or reddish in colour.
Diplazium australe, commonly known as the Austral lady fern, is a small fern occurring in eastern Australia, New Zealand and Norfolk Island. The habitat is moist shaded areas, often occurring in rainforest.
Histiopteris incisa, the bat's wing fern, water fern or fern mata, is a common plant found in Australia, New Zealand and other islands in the south Pacific region. Usually found in moist areas, where it may form large colonies. The lowermost lobes of each pinnae have a bat wing like appearance, giving the fern its common name.
Cranfillia fullagari, synonym Blechnum fullagarii, is a fern in the family Blechnaceae. The specific epithet honours James Fullagar, who collected plants on Lord Howe Island for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.
Tasmania is home to 'Australia’s largest cool temperate rainforests. Most of Tasmania’s rainforests occur in the North-West and throughout the North East highlands. Cool temperate rainforests typically have a heavy rainfall, cool climate, favor high altitudes and have a limited availability of light.
Parablechnum gregsonii, synonym Blechnum gregsonii, is a type of fern, mostly seen in the Illawarra and Blue Mountains areas of eastern Australia, often near waterfalls and moist gullies.
