Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

Northern Hemisphere

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

This fern grows in the damp, shaded soil of forests across the Northern Hemisphere. Its fronds contain microscopic spores that launch into the air when triggered by dry conditions.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Polypodiopsida

Order

Polypodiales

Family

Dryopteridaceae

Genus

Dryopteris

Species

Dryopteris carthusiana