Frond dimorphism
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Frond dimorphism refers to a difference in ferns between the fertile and sterile frond. Since ferns, unlike flowering plants, bear spore upon the leaf blade itself, this may affect the form of the frond itself. In some species of ferns, there is virtually no difference between the fertile and sterile fronds, such as in the genus Dryopteris, other than the mere presence of the sori, or fruit-dots, on the back of the fronds. Some other species, such as Polystichum acrostichoides, the Christmas fern, or some ferns of the genus Osmunda, feature dimorphism on a portion of the frond only. Others, such as Lorinseria, have fertile fronds that are markedly taller than the sterile. Still others, such as the Cinnamon fern, Osmunda cinnamomea, or plants of the family Onocleaceae, have fertile fronds that are completely different from the sterile.
