AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The leaves of ferns are often called fronds. Fronds are usually composed of a leafy blade and petiole (leaf stalk). Leaf shape, size, texture and degree of complexity vary considerably from species to species.

Detailed explanation-2: -Frond. The leaf of a fern. These are called fronds to distinguish them from the leaves of flowering plants. Leaves in flowering plants are purely concerned with photosynthesis whereas fern fronds have both a photosynthetic function and a reproductive function.

Detailed explanation-3: -A compound leaf-that is, a leaf with many fine and deep divisions-is a frond, such as on ferns and palm trees. Although commonly referring to the leafy part of a fern or palm, the noun frond can also refer to anything that has a similar shape to a palm frond or fern frond.

Detailed explanation-4: -Many strap-shaped leaves essentially have no petiole and are described as sessile; broad, ovate, or triangular leaves commonly have a pronounced leaf stalk, called a stipe, and are termed petiolate or stipitate. Narrowly elongated leaves in ferns are usually erect, spreading, or, in certain epiphytes, pendent.

Detailed explanation-5: -Fern fronds are the leaves of ferns. They are a major organ of a fern and range significantly between species. Some species of tree ferns have fronds that grow as large as 5 m long while other species are limited to growing frond only 1 cm in length.