FERNS OF TEXAS

The beauty, variety, and fascinating biology of ferns and similar plants catch our imaginations and almost demand our attention. More than a half-century ago they captured the interest of the Texas botanist Donovan Stewart Correll. In 1956 he published the landmark Ferns and Fern Allies of Texas, his first major work on Texas botany. No book since that time has focused on these unique plants throughout Texas despite the fact that a great deal has changed. Since the mid-1950s, the number of ferns and similar plants known for Texas has increased by nearly 29%, including some new to science. Also, the scientific naming (nomenclature) of these plants has changed dramatically, and perhaps most importantly, our understanding of their biology and evolutionary relationships has greatly improved. Indeed, some changes have been so dramatic that Haufler (2007) recently noted, "a revolution began in evolutionary studies" of ferns and similar plants "about 25 years ago." As a result, now seems to..