Ferns & Bryophytes

Ferns and lycopods were once a principal component of terrestrial ecosystems dominating the Carboniferous landscape and are of great evolutionary significance. Pteridophytes remain of great ecological significance and form the dominant and most conspicuous part of the vegetation in many ecosystems throughout the world. Some are significant weeds and agricultural pests. The well known bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn), produces arsenic-based compounds toxic to cattle and forms large aggressively spreading colonies. Many ferns are well known as ornamental plants and play an important role in many cultures throughout the world.

The Field Museum of Natural History has over 110,000 fern and lycopod specimens with strengths in Central and South America.

Liverworts, mosses, and hornworts - technically referred to as bryophytes - are considered to be evolutionary and ecologically significant. The Field Museum holds over 300,000 bryophyte specimens. At present, more than 100,000 searchable records are available. The majority of these records represent accessioned specimens from New Zealand, North America, and South America, including collections from J. J. Engel, M. Lewis, M. S. Taylor and R. M. Schuster. Databasing efforts of the bryophyte collection are ongoing, including the digitization of specimen labels and data entry of core fields. In recent years, databasing and digitization efforts have been made possible with the support of several awards from the National Science Foundation (No. 0749762, No. 1057418, No. 1458300, and No. 1115002) as well as Field Museum Science Collections Fund.