Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Australia and Oceania
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Spores
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

Musk Ferns grow in dense, evergreen forests in Australia and Oceania. They produce tiny, fragrant spores that float on the wind, which makes them the only fern species capable of long-distance dispersal.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Polypodiales
Family: Polypodiaceae
Genus: Microsorum
Species: Microsorum grossum