EXERCISE 16

THE FERN AND FERN

ALLIES

MIKEE ABRAHAM | 2B1

 FERN AND FERN ALLIES
• ‘Pteridophyta’
• seedless vascular plants
• monophyletic
• dominant sporophyte stage
• have true roots
• lignified cell walls
• have sclerenchyma and endodermis
1. LYCOPODIOPHYTA
A. FAMILY LYCOPODIACEAE
B. FAMILY SELAGINELLACEAE

2. MONILOPHYTA
A. FAMILY EQUISETACEAE
B. FAMILY PSILOTACEAE
C. CLASS MARATTIOPSIDA
D.CLASS POLYPODIOPSIDA
LYCOPODIOPHYTA
 FAMILY LYCOPODIACEAE
• club mosses
• spirally arranged microphylls
• yellowish sporangia producing spores
• have strobilus (aggregated sporangia)
• have sporophylls (modified sporangia-bearing
leaves)
Homosporous
no ligules
have bulbils/gemmae
 Lycopodium sp.
P Lycopodiophyta; C Lycopodiopsida, O Lycopodiales, F Lycopodiaceae

Columnella

Spores
 FAMILY SELAGINELLACEAE
• spike-moss/moss-fern
• stems are rhizomatous to decumbent
• leaves are dimorphic and anisophyllous (2 dorsal
leaves are larger than ventral leaves)
• have ligule at the base of the leaf
• micro- and megasporangia at the axil of the micro-
and megasporophyll
 Selaginella sp.
P Lycopodiophyta; C Isoetopsida, O Isoetales, F Selaginellaceae
MONILOPHYTA
FERN AND FERN ALLIES
 FAMILY EQUISETACEAE
• horsetails/scouring rushes
• monotypic
• outer photosynthetic stems have longitudinal
ridges
• have septate nodes
• microphylls (leaves) in whorls
• strobilus at the terminal end os the mature
Equisetum
 Equisetum sp.
P Monilophyta; C Equisetopsida, O Equisetales, F Equisetaceae

Spores
 FAMILY PSILOTACEAE
• whisk ferns
• lack roots
• aerial stem is dichotomously branched
• have synangium (3 sporangia that are fused)
 Psilotum nudum
P Monilophyta; C Psilotopsida, O Psilotales, F Psilotaceae
 CLASS MARATTIOPSIDA
• marattoid ferns
• enormous size
• have eusporangia
• have sporangial wall
• have fronds (leaves - have circinate venation)
• young fronds are called fiddleheads/croziers
 Angiopteris sp.
P Monilophyta; C Marattiopsida, O Marattiales, F Marattiaceae
 CLASS POLYPODIOPSIDA
• leptosporangiate ferns
• have leptosporangia (single layer of cell)
• have sorus (sporangium in clusters)
Fern prothallium
 Gleichenia sp.
P Monilophyta; C Polypodiopsida, O Gleicheniales, F Gleicheniaceae
 Nephrolepis sp.
P Monilophyta; C Polypodiopsida, O Polypodiales, F Lomariopsidaceae
Sword Fern