A Frond Fared Well: Genes hint that ferns proliferated in shade of flowering plants

Analyses of genetic material from a multitude of fern species suggest that much of that plant group branched out millions of years after flowering plants appeared, a notion that contradicts many scientists’ views of plant evolution.

NEW LEAF. Analyses of genetic material from dozens of species suggest that ferns experienced a burst of diversification about 80 million years ago.