What does C-Fern stand for?

What is C-Fern? C-Fern® is a specially derived cultivar of an unusual tropical fern, Ceratopteris richardii. C-Fern is a unique teacher and student-friendly instructional tool for the Biology classroom that is easy to grow and observe.

Why are C ferns important?

Ferns offer key advantages for the study of developmental processes leading to vascularisation and complex organs as well as the specific differences between diploid sporophyte tissues and haploid gametophyte tissues and the interplay between them.

Where do C ferns grow?

Ceratopteris is a genus of homosporous ferns found in most tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Species grow as either aquatics or sub-aquatics and are limited in habitat to ponds, rivers or other wet areas such as ditches, taro patches or rice paddies.

What is the scientific name for C ferns?

Ceratopteris richardii (Pteridaceae) is a fast-growing tropical fern, used globally in research laboratories as well as in K-12 and undergraduate biology courses for studying alternation of generations in plants.

How are C-Fern spores produced?

In ferns, seed plants and other vascular plants, the sporophyte is the dominant phase of the life cycle and produces spores by meiosis. Spores are haploid cells and the plant that produces spores, the sporophyte, must be diploid. This contrasts from most animals, in which meiosis yields gametes.

What is the life cycle of a fern?

The life cycle of the fern has two different stages; sporophyte, which releases spores, and gametophyte, which releases gametes. Gametophyte plants are haploid, sporophyte plants diploid. This type of life cycle is called alternation of generations.

How are C fern spores produced?

How do you take care of indoor ferns?

All ferns love moisture and should be given humid conditions. In living rooms and family rooms, stand their pots on trays of damp pebbles or clay granules. Ferns also love being misted at regular intervals with tepid, soft water unless the humidity of the whole room is kept high through the use of a humidifier.

How does a fern reproduce?

Ferns do not flower but reproduce sexually from spores. There are two distinct stages of the fern life cycle. Mature plants produce spores on the underside of the leaves.

Do ferns multiply on their own?

Ferns can multiply naturally via two mechanisms, vegetative and sexual. Vegetative reproduction occurs by producing new plantlets along underground runners, or rhizomes. Sexual reproduction occurs via the production of spores, which lead to the production tiny plants that make both eggs and sperm.

What is Ceratopteris thalictroides?

Ceratopteris thalictroides is an amphibic fern found in many tropical regions of the world in shallow waters and on muddy ground, amongst others in rice paddies. In some tropical regions of Asia the emersed leaves of this species are used as vegetable.

How big do Ceratopteris ferns get?

Ceratopteris thalictroides is a pantropical fern, 15-30 cm high and 10-20 cm wide.. This plant normally grows fast, but the addition of CO2 may be necessary to promote growth.

What is the difference between C cornuta and C thalictroides?

In aquaristics, those plants with coarser lobes/leaflets are generally called C. cornuta, and those with finer leaflets are known as C. thalictroides. It is not clear, however, if those coarser-looking plants are truly C. cornuta or simply a variety of C. thalictroides (in the narrower sense).

Can Ceratopteris hybridise?

Moreover, Ceratopteris species are known to hybridise. C. thalictroides is a very fast growing fern and is usually cultivated free-floating on the water surface, like all other Ceratopteris species. Labyrinth fish gladly accept it for building their bubble nests, and it provides fish fry with great places to hide.