Ferns

• Ferns are leafy, vascular plants. Most have only horizontal, underground stems called rhizomes but tree ferns have vertical, above-ground stems as well. Fern fronds either unroll from a tight coil, called a fiddlehead, or from a stafflike structure called a crozier. A fern's leaves are critical for reproduction as they hold the plant's spore-producing bodies on their undersides.
  
  

Fern Life Cycle

• The spore-producing structures on the undersides of fern leaves look like brown, raised bumps. These bumpy structures release spores into the wind or water. The spores germinate and grow into a heart-shaped structure called a gametophyte. Gametophytes produce both sperm and eggs which are spread by wind or water. Gametophytes are both male and female and can be self- or cross-fertilized. Once fertilized, the gametophyte will grow into an adult fern. Ferns can also reproduce asexually by spreading from their underground rhizomes.
  
  

Mosses

• Because mosses don't have a vascular system they must live in damp, shady places with water readily available for absorption. Not only does the lack of a vascular system limit where mosses can grow, it limits how big they can get. Mosses generally do not grow more than a few inches tall.
  
  

Moss Life Cycle

• Much like ferns, mosses produce spores that grow into immature plants that, unlike ferns, are either male or female. If conditions are moist enough, sperm from male plants will swim to female plants and fertilize them. Moss can also reproduce asexually by spreading shoots from existing plants. Additionally, if a piece of moss breaks off from a living plant and is given the proper amount of moisture, it can grow and thrive.