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Polypodiophyta Collection

Polypodiophyta, also known as ferns, are a diverse group of plants that have existed for millions of years

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Archaeopteris hibernica, fossil plant

Archaeopteris hibernica, fossil plant
A fern-like plant, beautifully preserved in yellow sandstone from the Devonian, Kilkenny, Ireland. Specimen is 25 cms long

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Common staghorn fern, Elkhorn fern (Platycerium bifurcate), Australia

Common staghorn fern, Elkhorn fern (Platycerium bifurcate), Australia

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Licuala sp

Licuala sp
Plate 981 from the John Reeves Collection of Botanical Drawings from Canton, China. Held in the Botany Library at the Natural History Museum, London

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Nothochloena marantoe

Nothochloena marantoe
Penfold, Jane Wallas, 1845. Madeira Flowers, Fruits and Ferns. London: Reeve Brothers. Plate 4

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Wardian case with ferns 1857

Wardian case with ferns 1857
Fern case in the shape of a small aviary with canaries. Scale of the design is three feet long, the space reserved for plants extending 10 inches on either side of the cage or aviary which is 16

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Red Squirrel stand between fern leaves

Red Squirrel stand between fern leaves Date: 20-05-2021

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Red Squirrel is eating a fern

Red Squirrel is eating a fern Date: 20-05-2021

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Davallia canariensis (L. ) Sm. hares foot fern

Davallia canariensis (L. ) Sm. hares foot fern
Sketch 18, Newfoundland Volume. From a collection of original drawings and sketches by Georg Dionysius Ehret (1708-1770). Held in the Botany Library at the Natural History Museum, London

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Mariopteris muricata, seed fern

Mariopteris muricata, seed fern
A leaf of a Carboniferous seed fern plant from Staffordshire

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Soft tree fern, Man fern or Tasmanian tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica), Australia

Soft tree fern, Man fern or Tasmanian tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica), Australia

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Glossopteris, fern fossil C016 / 4852

Glossopteris, fern fossil C016 / 4852
Glossopteris, fern fossil. This fossil plant has tongue-shaped leaves with a net-like arrangement of veins. This specimen is part of the collections held at the Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Detail of a Frosted Sword Fern; Olympia, Washington, United States

Detail of a Frosted Sword Fern; Olympia, Washington, United States

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Protopteris punctata, fossil fern tree

Protopteris punctata, fossil fern tree
A sandstone cast of a cyathacecus tree fern from Shaftesbury Dorset, presented by W. Batten

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Neuropteris gigantea (Sternberg), Pteridosperm

Neuropteris gigantea (Sternberg), Pteridosperm
Part of a frond of Neuropteris gigantea, an Upper Carboniferous plant, a Pteridosperm, from Coseley, near Bilston, west Midlands. Range; Genus, Carboniferous; Species, Westphalian

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Cupressus sempervirens, Italian cypress

Cupressus sempervirens, Italian cypress
An illustration of (Cupressus sempervirens) the Italian cypress from the Botany Library Collection, the Natural History Museum, London

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Sphenopteris laurenti, fossil fern

Sphenopteris laurenti, fossil fern
This specimen dates from the Middle Coal Measures, Carboniferous, Clay Cross, Derbyshire, England. The frond is 9 cms long

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Alethopteris lonchitica, fossil seed fern

Alethopteris lonchitica, fossil seed fern
Shown here is a frond of the seed fern Alethopteris, specimen originating from Carboniferous rocks near Barnsley, England

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Cyathea sp. Tree Ferns

Cyathea sp. Tree Ferns

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Dryopteris filix-mas, Male Fern growing in soil

Dryopteris filix-mas, Male Fern growing in soil

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Fern growing on a stonewall

Fern growing on a stonewall

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Quinault Rainforest, Washington, USA

Quinault Rainforest, Washington, USA

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Tree fern

Tree fern

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Rotating fern (Osmunda regalis)

Rotating fern (Osmunda regalis)

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Fern at a stream bank in autumn

Fern at a stream bank in autumn

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Sprouting fern, Burren, County Clare, Ireland, Europe

Sprouting fern, Burren, County Clare, Ireland, Europe

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Hart s-tongue fern (Phyllitis scolopendrium), Burren, Clare, Ireland, Europe

Hart s-tongue fern (Phyllitis scolopendrium), Burren, Clare, Ireland, Europe

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Jedediah Redwoods, Coast Redwood or Giant Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), California Coast

Jedediah Redwoods, Coast Redwood or Giant Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), California Coast, California, USA

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Fossil conifer C016 / 5947

Fossil conifer C016 / 5947
Fossilised branch of the extinct conifer Walchia piniformis. Specimen found in Montpellier, France, and dates to the Permian period (298 to 252 years ago)

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Gymnosperm fossil C016 / 5946

Gymnosperm fossil C016 / 5946
Fern like frond of the extinct gymnosperm Neuropteris heterophylla, found in Clay Cross, Derbyshire, UK, dating from the Carboniferous period. Specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Fossilised seed fern seeds C016 / 5948

Fossilised seed fern seeds C016 / 5948
Fossilised seed fern (Trigonocarpus parkinsoni) seeds. These large nut-like seeds measure about 2.5 centimetres long. They were found in the coal measures of England, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Fossil fern frond C016 / 5963

Fossil fern frond C016 / 5963
Fossil Todites denticulatus fern fronds. Jurassic fossil leaf from York, UK. Specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Fossil fern fronds C016 / 5964

Fossil fern fronds C016 / 5964
Fossil Matonidium goeperti fern fronds. Jurassic fossil leaf from York, UK. Specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Broad buckler fern (Liastrea dilatata) C016 / 6011

Broad buckler fern (Liastrea dilatata) C016 / 6011
Broad buckler fern (Liastrea dilatata). Illustration from The Ferns of Sidmouth (1862) by Peter Orlando Hutchinson. Held in the Botany Library at the Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Gymnosperm fossil C016 / 5945

Gymnosperm fossil C016 / 5945
Gymnosperm fossil. Ovule bearing cupules of the early extinct gymnosperm Xenotheca devonica from Devon, UK, dating from the Upper Devonian. Specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Fossil fern trunk C016 / 5967

Fossil fern trunk C016 / 5967
Fossil fern (Protopteris sp.) trunk. Cretaceous fossil from the Czech Republic. Specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Fern (Polypodium vulgare), artwork C016 / 6010

Fern (Polypodium vulgare), artwork C016 / 6010
Fern (Polypodium vulgare). Page 2 from The Ferns of Sidmouth (1862) by Peter Orlando Hutchinson. Held in the Botany Library at the Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Fossil fern frond C016 / 5962

Fossil fern frond C016 / 5962
Fossil Matonidium goeperti fern frond. Jurassic fossil leaf found in York, UK. Specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Giant horsetail leaf fossils C016 / 5599

Giant horsetail leaf fossils C016 / 5599
Fossilised giant horsetail (Asterophyllites grandis)leaves. These specimens date to 320-290 million year old ago in the Late Carboniferous, and were found in Dudley, West Midlands, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Fossil Sphenophyllum plant C016 / 5557

Fossil Sphenophyllum plant C016 / 5557
Fossil Sphenophyllum plant. This specimen was discovered in Wales and dates back to the Late Carboniferous period, 300 to 359 million years ago. Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Fossil Calamites leaves C016 / 5556

Fossil Calamites leaves C016 / 5556
Fossil Calamites (Annularia radiata) leaves. This plants leaves were borne in whorls, approximately 15 millimetres in size

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Petrified fern, tree trunk fossil C016 / 5142

Petrified fern, tree trunk fossil C016 / 5142
Petrified fern. Polished section of a fossil of the trunk of the fern Palaeosmunda williamsonii. This specimen is approximately 4 centimetres across

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Dicroidium, seed fern fossil C016 / 5054

Dicroidium, seed fern fossil C016 / 5054
Dicroidium, seed fern fossil. This specimen, from Queensland, Australia, dates from the Triassic. It is part of the collections held at the Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Petrified tree fern, tree trunk fossil C016 / 4914

Petrified tree fern, tree trunk fossil C016 / 4914
Petrified tree fern. Polished section of a fossil of the trunk of the tree fern Psaronius. This specimen is approximately 15 centimetres across

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Nilssonia kendalli, cycad frond fossils C016 / 4898

Nilssonia kendalli, cycad frond fossils C016 / 4898
Nilssonia kendalli, cycad frond fossils. This specimen is part of the collections held at the Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Thursophyton elberfeldense, plant fossils C016 / 4911

Thursophyton elberfeldense, plant fossils C016 / 4911
Thursophyton elberfeldense, plant fossils. This fine-grained shale block contains fossils of massed stick-like stems of early land plants. It is approximately 27 centimetres across

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Neuropteris, seed fern fossil C016 / 4844

Neuropteris, seed fern fossil C016 / 4844
Neuropteris, seed fern fossil. This plant fossil dates from the Carboniferous. This specimen is part of the collections held at the Natural History Museum, London, UK

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Tree fern, Sri Lanka

Tree fern, Sri Lanka
A tree fern photographed in Sri Lanka by Harry Taylor

Background imagePolypodiophyta Collection: Acrostichum squamosum

Acrostichum squamosum
Penfold, Jane Wallas, 1845. Madeira Flowers, Fruits and Ferns. London: Reeve Brothers. Plate 8



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Polypodiophyta, also known as ferns, are a diverse group of plants that have existed for millions of years. One fascinating example is the Archaeopteris hibernica, a fossil plant that provides valuable insights into the ancient world. Another remarkable species is the Common staghorn fern or Elkhorn fern (Platycerium bifurcate), which can be found in Australia and boasts unique antler-like fronds. The Licuala sp and Nothochloena marantoe are two other intriguing members of the Polypodiophyta family. The former showcases beautiful fan-shaped leaves while the latter exhibits delicate foliage with intricate patterns. In 1857, a Wardian case filled with various ferns became popular among botanists and enthusiasts alike, serving as miniature greenhouses to protect these exquisite plants. Nature never fails to surprise us; even red squirrels find delight in polypodiophyta. These adorable creatures can be seen standing between fern leaves or munching on them as part of their diet. The Davallia canariensis (L. ) Sm. , commonly known as hare's foot fern due to its furry rhizomes, adds another layer of uniqueness to this already diverse family. Seed ferns like Mariopteris muricata provide evidence of how they have evolved over time. With their distinctive fronds resembling seeds, they offer an insight into prehistoric flora. Meanwhile, the Soft tree fern or Tasmanian tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica) from Australia stands tall with its elegant appearance and lush green foliage. Even at close range, polypodiophyta captivate our attention - just look at the detail on a Frosted Sword Fern found in Olympia, Washington. Its frost-like texture gives it an ethereal charm that enchants any observer.