Great shady characters
Ferns have such beautiful forms and textures that it’s easy to see why Victorian people became avid collectors. The tree ferns in the Moist Temperate Zone create shade for the smaller species below whose fronds range from simple strap shapes to some so finely divided that they look like lace.
Along with mosses and liverworts, ferns were some of the first plants to grow on earth. Fossils of ferns almost 400 million years old have been found.
There are around 12,000 different species, just a few of which are growing in the Glasshouse.
Although usually found in damp, shady places, some ferns can survive on walls, sea-sprayed cliffs and even in semi-desert climates.
In Victorian times, ferns were avidly collected. They were displayed in grottoes and ferneries.
Ferns do not have flowers or seeds. They reproduce from microscopic spores contained in sporangia, seen as dots on the underside of the leaves at certain times of year. A spore grows into a tiny plant called a prothallus. Less than 1cm (0.5in) long, this is where the new fern plant starts life. Growing ferns from spores can take 18-24 months.
Tree ferns (pictured above) are similar to other ferns except that, over time, they produce a trunk-like rhizome from the bases of their old fronds.
Most ferns like to be kept damp, not wet. When grown in pots, they should stand in an outer container containing moist grit.