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Grand Canyon National Park
Ferns
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Ferns differ from other vascular plants in that they reproduce with spores rather than seeds.
The fossil record in Grand Canyon reveals that ferns are the oldest living plant in the park. Fossil ferns found in the Hermit Shale date back 400 million years.
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![Maindenhair Fern - C. Munill NPS Maindenhair Fern - C. Munill NPS](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090507143023im_/http://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/images/maidenhair_2.jpg) |
Maidenhair fern |
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Two species of fern commonly found near seeps and springs along the Colorado River are the maidenhair fern and the brittle fern. The Mexican Woodsia and Oregon Woodsia ferns are more rare and grow in moist soil crevices, on ledges and among boulders.
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Patrick J. Alexander @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database |
Beaded lipfern - Cheilanthes wootonii - found along the Bright Angel Trail in the canyon at 3,300 feet elevation. |
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Did You Know?
The more recent Kaibab limestone caprock, on the rims of the Grand Canyon, formed 270 million years ago. In contrast, the oldest rocks within the Inner Gorge at the bottom of Grand Canyon date to 1.84 billion years ago. Geologists currently set the age of Earth at 4.5 billion years.
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Last Updated: August 08, 2008 at 13:32 EST |