Ferns

Ferns are a group of well-known plants that first developed during the carboniferous period about 350 million years ago when the climate was stable, warm, and wet.  Ferns were globally abundant in woodlands and marshlands providing suitable habitat for them. Ferns were the first group of plants with vascular systems.  Vascular plants utilize tube-like structures, called xylem tissue and phloem tissue.  Water and minerals are moved from roots to fronds (leaves) through the xylem tissues and are used in photosynthesis to create food that is distributed throughout the rest of the plant in phloem tissues.  Vascular systems also provide internal…