A Brief Introduction to Ferns Introduction Ferns have been with us for more than 300 million years and in that time the diversification of their form has been phenomenal.
Ferns grow in many different habitats around the world.
Most of the ferns of the Carboniferous became extinct but some later evolved into our modern ferns. There are about 12,000 species in the world today. Structure of Ferns Ferns and fern-allies are more complicated in structure than most people would suspect. Their structures, though similar in some ways to those of flowering plants are different enough to warrant a distinctive terminology. The blade may be undivided to finely cut, each degree of division having a specific term.