The fern

Fern

A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...

 genus Todea is known from only two living species. Todea barbara

Todea barbara

Todea barbara is known as the king fern. Occurring in moist areas of south eastern Australia, and also indigenous to New Zealand and South Africa.It grows up to tall, but has a short stumpy base...

 L., known as the king fern, is native to South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia while Todea papuana H. is known only from Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

. Species in the genus Todea, as Leptopteris

Leptopteris

The fern genus Leptopteris is a small group of plants found growing in the Pacific Islands, New Guinea and Australia. They are similar to ferns in the related genus Todea.Species include:* L. alpina* L. fraseri - Crepe Fern, Australia...

, are distinct from other in Osmundaceae

Osmundaceae

The Osmundaceae is a family of four genera and 15-25 species. It is the only fern family of the order Osmundales; an order in the class Pteridopsida or in some classifications the only order in the class Osmundopsida...

 in that sporangia are born on laminar pinnules.

So far the fossil record of the genus Todea consists only of the permineralized rhizome Todea tidwellii

Todea tidwellii

Todea tidwellii is an extinct species of fern in the genus Todea. Fossils have been recovered from the Late Cretaceous of British Columbia.-References:*...

 from the Lower Cretaceous

Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...

 of Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...

, Canada.

External links

• "Ferns and Fern Allies in the Canberra Region" - Todea barbara (King Fern) - includes photos (author: David Nicholls, January 1998).