Ferns and Mosses

Ferns and mosses do not make flowers and seeds, they reproduce by spores.  Look up to see the sori on the underside of the Rabbitfoot Fern. Sori contain the spore producing structures of the fern, the sporangia.  The sori pattern in ferns is characteristic to a particular species.  In the Rabbitfoot Fern, you can see they are polkadots.  Swamp Fern (Blechnum serrulatum) sori are in two lines under the leaflets as seen in the picture.  The next picture shows the Swamp Fern that you can see growing from the ground behind the sign. 

The green moss growing in cushions on the trunk of this tree is Octoblepharum albidum (sorry no common name), which is commonly found on Sabal Palm trunks.  The moss appears bright green here but actually has whitish parts on the leaves.  There is also another form that looks like a white crust.  Look real closely at the moss or look at the photo to see tiny brown structures on stalks.  These are the spore producing bodies of the moss. 

Check Out CHEC - Alligator Creek
  1. CHEC Out The Info
  2. In The Shade of the Mulberry Tree
  3. The Lily Pond
  4. Plants Along the Pond
  5. Sabal Palm and Friends
  6. Florida Swampland
  7. Ferns and Mosses
  8. Saw Palmetto
  9. Is That a Pretty Berry?
  10. Palm or Palmetto
  11. Stroll Through the Oaks
  12. Caniff Visitors Center
  13. The Story of Luna
  14. More to CHEC Out