Question

Sketch and label the figure of the following plant and explain them in brief.

Fern

Answer 1

Ferns

The ferns are nonflowering vascular plants that can have a height ranging from 1 - 1.2 cm up to 10 to 25 metres. On Earth, the tropics are the regions that are abundant with ferns while the Arctic and Antarctica have few fern species. The characteristics of the structure of the fern are as follows -

• Rhizomes are the stems of the fern which mostly grow on or beneath the soil surface.
• These horizontal growing stems are protected by various structures such as hairs, scales, embryonic leaves, and leaf bases.
• The vasculature in the fern stem follows a dictyostele pattern in which the vascular bundles are interconnected with each other.
• Sclerenchyma is a mechanical hard tissue that passes between the two vascular bundles.
• Also known as fronds, some species of ferns have palmate leaves or dichotomous leaves.
• The leaves of the fern possess a midrib which is divided into pinnae.
• The green and photosynthetic leaves are produced from the fiddleheads, which are the young fronds.
• The leaves bear stomata on the lower epidermis and have a well-defined vascular system composed of xylem, phloem, and pericycle.
• Ferns have thin and wiry roots that can be used for cultivating orchids.