Plant biologists report that a species of tree fern found only in Panama reanimates its own dead leaf fronds, converting them into root structures that feed the mother plant. The fern, Cyathea ...

To get by in the waterlogged, low-nutrient soil of the Quebrada Chorro forest in western Panama, a species of tree fern repurposes its dead fronds, turning them into roots. The discovery “was ...

Probably the first pioneer plants to arrive in Hawaii were mosses and ferns. Ferns have been around for over 360 million years. Giant tree fern forests were common for millions of years but they gave ...

Researchers have clarified the evolutionary history of a previously poorly known group of ferns from the tropical rainforests of America using DNA methods. The study discovered many new fern species, ...

For sheer pop, indoors or out, staghorn ferns (Platycerium spp) can’t be beat. Once considered difficult to grow in San Diego County, staghorn ferns are now commonly found in nurseries, hanging on ...

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign plant biology professor James Dalling and his colleagues discovered that some tree ferns recycle their dead fronds into roots. The researchers call these ...

Danaea ubatubensis, one of the recently described fern species, is known only from a small area of coastal rainforest in Brazil. A large proportion of the species in the area are endemic. Researchers ...