1.  waxy covering on leaves to prevent water loss

2.  roots to gather water and minerals from soil

3. Vascular tissue - a system of tiny tubes to transport food, water and other minerals thought plant

1. 1st appeared about 400 million years ago

2.  are a major step in plant evolution

3.  vascular tissue allows the quick and efficient transport of water throughout plant

4.  Vascular tissue made of cells with thick, strong cell wall

5.  have sturdy stems which allow them to grow taller than non vascular mosses

1.  grow taller than mosses

2.  have true leaves, stems and roots

1.  are divided into many smaller parts

2.  developing ferns are curled at top Like top of violin (fiddlehead)

3.  fiddleheads uncurl as they reach full size

1.  most are hidden from view

2.  may look like fuzzy, brown yarn

3.  may run below the surface of the soil

1.  wiry structures growing from the stem

2.  anchor fern to ground

3. absort water, etc. from soil

How do ferns reproduce?

1.  They have no seeds

2.  need standing water for sperm cells to swim to egg cells

1.  houseplants - don't need a lot of sunlight

2.  orchids may be grown on ferns

3.  Rive farms in SE Asia grow ferns in rice fields becaus the leaves provide a home for the blue-green bacteria that acts as fertilizer for the rice

4.  certain edible fern fiddleheads can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable