Topics
   Site focus
   Navigating the site
   Why ferns are hard to identify
   Nomenclature
Glossaries
   Illustrated Glossary
   Flora of Australia
   Lower Vascular Plant Glossary
Hardy Fern Glossary
   Rhizomes
   Structure and Shape
   Blade Division
   Hairs and Scales
   Margins
   Sori and Indusia
Bibliography
Major Fern Links
Copyright

    Adiantum  Arachniodes
    Aspidotis  Asplenium
    Astrolepis  Athyrium
    Blechnum  Cheilanthes
    Cryptogramma  Cyrtomium
    Cystopteris  Dennstaedtia
    Deparia  Diplazium
    Dryopteris  Gymnocarpium
    Lygodium  Matteuccia
    Onoclea  Oreopteris
    Osmunda  Pellaea
    Phegopteris  Pleopeltis
    Polypodium  Polystichum
    Pteridium  Pteris
    Pyrrosia  Thelypteris
    Woodsia  Woodwardia

Hardy Fern Library

Welcome to the home page of the Hardy Fern Library. The scope of the site is laid out on the page Site Focus.

Briefly, however, the purpose is to make identifying hardy ferns as easy as falling off a Dryopteris celsa. The impetus behind the site was frustration with the scattered state of the information. When trying to identify a candidate, it was often necessary to tap several sources. The difficulties are expanded on here. A commonsense solution seemed apparent: bring it all together in one place.

So, the aim is to fix this state of affairs. I suspect you are in for a surprise at how much is available on the net. However, the cornucopia Fern Abundanceis deceptive. The net library is neither complete nor always accurate. After you have a chance to meander around, I hope you will take up an invitation to improve the site.

Some intended features are still to come. One in particular, the main goal – searching by characters – is of high priority, but a prerequisite is accurate, complete fern descriptions. Perhaps you can improve the data here, as a capability to add resources and notes is part of the package.

Now, choose your favorite fern, and click away.

Tom Stuart
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