Fronds

• Staghorn ferns are epiphytes; they grow on trees or other structures.large staghorns 2 image by mdb from Fotolia.com
  
  Fronds contain a lower stipe, or stalk, and the thin blade, or leaf. The blade has a central stem, or rachis. Traditional images of ferns show the blade finely divided into leaflets, with each leaflet attached to the rachis, but some ferns break the usual stereotype. Staghorn ferns have wide, solid blades that appear like dishes rather than leaves. Others ferns have single blades without leaflets.
  
  

Roots and Rhizomes

• Rhizomes are the horizontal, stem-like structures of the fern. The frond's stipe connects to the rhizome, and the rhizome transfers water and nutrients to the fronds. Most, but not all, rhizomes are underground. Underground rhizomes often spread and send up new clusters of fronds. Below the rhizomes are the fibrous roots.
  
  

Spores

• Fiddleheads may take months to fully mature.fern image by Benjamin Jefferson from Fotolia.com
  
  Spores form circular clusters or straight lines on the underside of mature fern blades. These spore clusters, or sori, darken as they mature and release thousands of tiny, dust-like spores. If the spores land in a moist, shaded environment, they grow into tiny male and female reproductive structures. After fertilization, the embryonic fern grows into a tightly-coiled frond, or fiddlehead.