Ferns

There are more varieties of fern than I’ve noticed before.

We’ve seen these four kinds of fern on our walks of late. I’ve been comparing them on the basis of the shapes of the pinnules, the manner in which the fronds grow from the main stem, and the manner in which the spore cases grow — whether as separate fronds, or as interspersed pinnae. The shades of green are slightly different too.

A little vocabulary I’m learning: The main stem is the stipe; the frond stem is the rachis; the whole “arm” is the frond; the individual “fingers” growing from the frond are the pinnae; the individual “leaves” growing from the pinnae are the pinnules.