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Story: Ferns and lycophytes

Hen and chickens fern budding

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Hen and chickens fern budding

Hen and chickens ferns bud off tiny replicas of themselves from the upper surface of their fronds. The parent (‘hen’) frond may droop to the ground under the weight of the ‘chickens’, or it may die and drop off, carrying the little ferns down to the ground, where they take root and grow.

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Department of Conservation

Reference: 10049930

by B. Smith

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How to cite this page

Patrick Brownsey, Ferns and lycophytes – Reproduction, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/10867/hen-and-chickens-fern-budding (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Patrick Brownsey, published 1 March 2009.