Christmas Fern

Description:

Evergreen fern with long pinnate fronds. Long, falcate pinnae with spiny edges are present. Brown sporangia cover the underside of the fertile leaf surface, making it acrostichoid. P. acrostichoides derives its name from this characteristic. Ferns are a group of vascular plants that predate the Mesozoic era. Unlike the flowering plants (that evolved around 200 million years later), ferns reproduce via spores rather than seeds. These spores are located on the underside of the pinnae inside casings called sporangia (note: only fertile fronds have them).

Habitat:

Growing on a shady ridge top in a moist, dense hardwood forest.