Tree Fern

ancient plants · ferns · living fossils

Ferns that grew tall. Tree ferns are special ferns that developed thick trunks so they could grow as tall as trees. Instead of spreading along the ground like most ferns, they pushed their leaves high into the air where they could catch more sunlight.

Dinosaur-era plants. Tree ferns first appeared during the early Jurassic period, which means they were already around when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Some of those ancient species went extinct, but their cousins are still growing in forests today.

Part of a large family. Most tree ferns alive today belong to a group called Cyatheales, which includes four different families with scientific names like Cyatheaceae and Dicksoniaceae. These different families are all distant cousins of one another.

Not the only tree-makers. Tree ferns weren't the only ferns that figured out how to grow like trees. Other fern groups, like the Osmundales and Marattiales, also developed some species that grew tall with trunks, showing that becoming tree-like was a winning strategy for ferns.