fern

fern  (fûrn)

n.

Any of numerous flowerless, seedless vascular plants having roots, stems, and fronds and reproducing by spores.

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[Middle English, from Old English fearn; see per-² in Indo-European roots.]

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ferny adj.

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fern

Noun

a flowerless plant with roots, stems, and long feathery leaves that reproduces by releasing spores [Old English fearn]

ferny adj

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fern  (fûrn)

Any of numerous seedless vascular plants belonging to the phylum Pterophyta that reproduce by means of spores and usually have feathery fronds divided into many leaflets. Most species of ferns are homosporous (producing only one kind of spore). The haploid spore grows into a small, usually flat gametophyte known as a prothallus, which is undifferentiated into roots, stems, and leaves. The green prothallus anchors itself with hairlike extensions known as rhizoids and bears both archegonia (organs producing female gametes) and antheridia (organs producing male gametes). The male gametes require the presence of water to swim to the female gametes and fertilize the eggs. Normally only one embryo is produced, and it then grows out of the gametophyte plant as a diploid sporophyte plant that has roots, stems, and leaves and conducts photosynthesis, while the smaller gametophyte withers away. The leaves of these sporophytes eventually produce sporangia (in some species occurring in clusters known as sori). Under dry conditions, the sori burst releasing hundreds of thousands or millions of spores. Ferns were abundant in the Carboniferous period and exist today in about 11,000 species, about three-quarters of which live in tropical climates.

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Fern a huge quantity or number, 1300.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

fern - any of numerous flowerless and seedless vascular plants having true roots from a rhizome and fronds that uncurl upward; reproduce by spores pecopteris - Carboniferous fossil fern characterized by a regular arrangement of the leaflets resembling a comb nonflowering plant, pteridophyte - plants having vascular tissue and reproducing by spores fern seed - the asexual spore of ferns that resembles dust; once thought to be seeds and to make the possessor invisible film fern, filmy fern - any fern of the genus Hymenophyllum growing in tropical humid regions and having translucent leaves bristle fern, filmy fern - any fern of the genus Trichomanes having large pinnatifid often translucent fronds; most are epiphytic on tree branches and twigs or terrestrial on mossy banks osmund, flowering fern - any fern of the genus Osmunda: large ferns with creeping rhizomes; naked sporangia are on modified fronds that resemble flower clusters crape fern, Leptopteris superba, Prince-of-Wales feather, Prince-of-Wales fern, Prince-of-Wales plume, Todea superba - New Zealand with pinnate fronds and a densely woolly stalks; sometimes included in genus Todea crepe fern, king fern, Todea barbara - fern of rain forests of tropical Australia and New Zealand and South Africa curly grass, curly grass fern, Schizaea pusilla - rare small fern of northeastern North America having numerous slender spiraling fronds and forming dense tufts Anemia adiantifolia, pine fern - fern of Florida and West Indies and Central America with rhizome densely clad in grown hairs climbing fern - any of several ferns of the genus Lygodium that climb by twining Mohria caffrorum, scented fern - sweetly scented African fern with narrow bipinnate fronds aquatic fern, water fern - ferns that grow in water adder's tongue, adder's tongue fern - ferns with fertile spikes shaped like a snake's tongue grape fern - a fern of the genus Botrychium having a fertile frond bearing small grapelike clusters of spore cases flowering fern, Helminthostachys zeylanica - Australasian fern with clusters of sporangia on stems of fertile fronds class Filicinae, class Filicopsida, Filicinae, Filicopsida - ferns Diplopterygium longissimum, giant scrambling fern - large scrambling fern forming large patches to 18 feet high; Pacific region and China fan fern, Gleichenia flabellata, Sticherus flabellatus, umbrella fern - large Australasian fern with fanlike repeatedly forked fronds; sometimes placed in genus Gleichenia polypody - any of numerous ferns of the genus Polypodium Aglaomorpha meyeniana, bear's-paw fern - epiphytic fern with large fronds; Taiwan and Philippines strap fern - fern with long narrow strap-shaped leaves Drynaria rigidula, basket fern - giant epiphytic or lithophytic fern; Asia to Polynesia and Australia lecanopteris - any of several bizarre ferns of the genus Lecanopteris having swollen hollow rhizomes that provide homes for symbiotic ants Microgramma-piloselloides, snake polypody - epiphytic ferns with long rhizomes; tropical America climbing bird's nest fern, Microsorium punctatum - tropical Africa to Australasia and Polynesia golden polypody, Phlebodium aureum, Polypodium aureum, rabbit's-foot fern, serpent fern - tropical American fern with brown scaly rhizomes cultivated for its large deeply lobed deep bluish-green fronds; sometimes placed in genus Polypodium staghorn fern - any of various tropical ferns of the genus Platycerium having large flat lobed fronds often resembling the antlers of a stag Cyclophorus lingua, felt fern, Pyrrosia lingua, tongue fern - east Asian fern having fronds shaped like tongues; sometimes placed in genus Cyclophorus Solanopteris bifrons, potato fern - small epiphytic fern of South America with tuberous swellings along rhizomes grass fern, Vittaria lineata, ribbon fern - epiphytic fern found in lowland forests of tropical America

Translations

fern [fəːn] n → helecho

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fern [fəːn] n → fougère f

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fern [fəːn] n → Farn m

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fern [fəːn] n → felce f

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fern

n fern [fəːn]

a kind of plant with no flowers and delicate feather-like leaves. varing سَرْخَس، خِنْشار папрат kapradina bregne der Farn φτέρη helecho sõnajalg سرخس saniainen fougère שָׂרָך फर्न, सुंदर बारीक पत्तियों वाला एक पौधा paprat páfrány pakis burkni felce しだ類 양치 식물 papartis paparde paku-pakis varen bregne paproć feto ferigă папоротник papraď praprot paprat ormbunke ต้นเฟิร์น eğrelti (otu) 蕨類植物 папороть بے پھول کا پودا جس کے روئیں دار پتے ہوتے ہیں cây dương xỉ 蕨类植物