Posted by David Bamford on July 30, 2006 at 06:07:40 from 220.253.5.211 user David.
In Reply to: Re: Bracken posted by John Giddy on July 30, 2006 at 01:22:32:
You're right on the money, John! Ferns are among the oldest plants that we have, dating back to the Devonian Period [410 - 355 million years ago]. They are 'living fossils', along with sharks, the Coelecanth, early insects, tree ferns and cycads. They pre-date reptiles, but are contemporaneous with the amphibians which were the ancestors of reptiles. They were fortunate to survive the mass extinction which defines the end of the Devonian Period.
There is some debate as to whether the antipodean bracken [P. esculentum is a separate species or a variation on P. aquilinum. The main difference seems to be that P. esculentum lacks the hairs found on the underside of the fronds of P. aquilinum, sxcept during juvenile stages. Ref: "Flora" vol 2, p. 1106.
David.