fern shaw

1 definition found

fern shaw - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Fern \Fern\ (f[~e]rn), n. [AS. fearn; akin to D. varen, G. farn,
     farnkraut; cf. Skr. par[.n]a wing, feather, leaf, sort of
     plant, or Lith. papartis fern.] (Bot.)
     An order of cryptogamous plants, the Filices, which have
     their fructification on the back of the fronds or leaves.
     They are usually found in humid soil, sometimes grow
     epiphytically on trees, and in tropical climates often attain
     a gigantic size.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The plants are asexual, and bear clustered sporangia,
           containing minute spores, which germinate and form
           prothalli, on which are borne the true organs of
           reproduction. The brake or bracken, the maidenhair, and
           the polypody are all well known ferns.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     Christmas fern. See under Christmas.
  
     Climbing fern (Bot.), a delicate North American fern
        (Lygodium palmatum), which climbs several feet high over
        bushes, etc., and is much sought for purposes of
        decoration.
  
     Fern owl. (Zool.)
     (a) The European goatsucker.
     (b) The short-eared owl. [Prov. Eng.] -- Fern shaw, a fern
        thicket. [Eng.] --R. Browning.
        [1913 Webster]