found: ITIS, Jan. 23, 2002(Scientific name: Pterophyta. Vernacular name: ferns)
found: Lawrence, E. Henderson's dict. of biol. terms, 2000(fern: common name for a member of the Pterophyta; Pterophyta: one of the four major divisions of the spore-bearing vascular plants, commonly called the ferns)
found: Academic Press dict. of sci. and tech., via WWW, Jan. 23, 2002(fern: The common name for a seedless, nonflowering vascular plant of the class Filicineae; Filicophyta: the ferns; Filicopsida: the largest of three subdivisions of the division Filicophyta; Filicineae: a class of the Pteridophyta; plants that reproduce by spores and are characterized by fronds and true vascular systems)
found: The Wordsworth dict. of sci. & tech., 1995(ferns (Bot.). Pteridophytes of the class Filicopsida)
found: McGraw-Hill dict. of sci. tech. terms, c1989(fern (BOT) Any of a large number of vascular plants composing the division Polypodiophyta)
found: Encarta world Eng. dict.(fern: n. pl. ferns or fern)
found: ITIS, Nov. 15, 2023(Class Polypodiopsida -- leptosporangiate ferns. Subdivision Polypodiophytina, Division Tracheophyta -- vascular plants, tracheophytes. Synonyms: Psilotopsida, Arthropsida, Eusporangiopsida, Equisetopsida, Filicopsida, Psilopsida, Marattiopsida)
found: Britannica online, Nov. 15, 2023(fern, (class Polypodiopsida), class of nonflowering, herbaceous vascular plants that possess true roots, stems, and complex leaves and that reproduce by spores)
found: Wikipedia, Nov. 15, 2023(The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers; Synonyms: Filicatae, Filices, Filicophyta, Monilophyta, Pteridopsida)