Ferns are part of the plant community throughout the tropics. From literatures, the fern vegetation of the earth is composed of about 9,000 species and of which, 943 are known to occur in the Philippines. Ferns love shade and moisture. Their sizes range from a few millimeters to as big as 12 meters. Ferns do not produce flowers and fruits. For production, they develop spores instead many ferns are terrestrial, others are epiphytic (usually on another plant) and a few are aquatic.
Ferns can be tapped as sources of vegetables for human food. The raw materials can be used for handicraft manufacture; medicinal and horticultural purposes.
With this issue, the salient features of the twelve (12) common ferns are presented and we hope that this will serve as a good reference material for our readers.
