Leafy greens

THOUGH FERNS HAVE NEITHER FLOWERS NOR SEEDS, AFTER 300 MILLION YEARS OF EVOLUTION, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY’RE HERE TO STAY

- Jennifer Stackhouse

Ferns are ancient plants and what sets them apart from most other garden plants is that they don’t flower.

Instead of producing flowers and seeds, ferns reproduce via spores, which form on the underside of their fronds. (A frond is the fern equivalent of a leaf.)

Mature spores are scattered in the air, fall on moist surfaces and eventually form a baby plant. Some ferns also spread through the soil via rhizomes (root-like structures) while others produce small plantlets on their leaves. These “baby” ferns can be detached and used to grow new plants.

Ferns evolved in the Devonian period and prospered, becoming the dominant plant group on Earth in the Carboniferous period more than 300 million years ago.

Although old in evolutionary terms, ferns are riding a wave of popularity at the moment due to the current passion for houseplants. Most thrive in shade, which makes them suited to life indoors.

They do, however, have more to offer, as many will also do well outdoors in sheltered spots where other plants struggle, such as a courtyard.

Indoors or out, the green foliage of ferns always creates a cool, lush look.

COLOURS AND SIZES

Ferns come mostly in shades of green — from bright apple green to dark green — but some produce colourful red, rust-brown or bronze new growth.

The new fronds of the Australian fern Doodia aspera, for example, are bright red to orange as they unfurl. The new rhizomes of the rabbit’s foot fern (Davallia solida var. fejeensis) are covered with light-brown furry growth so they resemble the paws of a rabbit.