Ferns

Ferns are green plants with pretty, feathery leaves. They love shady and wet places like forests. Ferns are one of the oldest kinds of plants on Earth. They have been around for more than 300 million years. That was long before dinosaurs walked the Earth.

How Ferns Grow

Ferns do not have flowers or seeds like most plants. Instead, they make tiny dots called spores under their leaves. When spores fall, they can grow into new ferns. New fern leaves start out curled up tight. These curly new leaves are called fiddleheads.

A drawing of a fern with long, lacy leaves.
A drawing of a fern with long, lacy leaves. (Pratt, Anne; Pratt, Anne; Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (Great Britain) / Wikimedia Commons)

Where They Live

Most ferns grow best in shady, wet places. You can find them in forests, near streams, and on mossy rocks. Some ferns are tiny, but others can grow as tall as trees. Tree ferns can be found in warm, rainy forests. Many people also grow ferns as house plants.

Fun Facts

  • Fiddleheads are named after the curly top of a violin.
  • Some ancient ferns turned into the coal we use today.
  • There are about 10,000 kinds of ferns.

Did You Know?

Ferns were the first plants with a special tube system to move water. This let them grow much taller than mosses.