Which of us has not heard the legend about how on the night of Ivan Kupala a fern blooms its flowers? How the evil spirits rage, crawling out with all the composition to protect the precious color. How daredevils go into the forest to find a flower that will show the way to countless treasures. Yes, and what to hide, many of us also went looking for a fern flower - some as a joke, some out of curiosity, and some just for a bet. Has anyone actually seen him? We'll find out very soon.
Question of questions - do ferns bloom?
To find out if a fern can bloom or not, you must first figure out what kind of plant it is. So, the fern belongs to the category of very rare species that simply do not have seeds. Fern reproduction occurs with the help of spores - sori located in the lower part of the plant.
The height of a fern usually grows no more than a meter, but it can beand very small - up to 30 centimeters. Large scaly leaves of a pinnately complex type emerge from the top of the rhizome. They usually lean towards the ground, wrapping themselves in a snail-like fashion. On the lowest leaves, spores ripen, which then, at the slightest touch (or wind), spill out onto the ground, thereby giving life to new shoots of the fern.
What are ferns
To find out how a fern blooms, you need to get acquainted with its species. The plant can be indoor - interesting carved leaves for decorative beauty have no analogues among domestic plants. A home fern can spread its leaves 70 centimeters from the trunk.
This species is completely intolerant of sunlight and loves to have its leaves often sprayed with plain water. The next species is the Thai fern. This is a great aquarium plant with bright green leaves of complex shape. As a rule, this species does not grow more than 30 centimeters and is quite capricious - in addition to clean water, it needs heating in winter and cooling in summer. The fern is red, named for the color of the leaves. Known Indian and tropical species, tree, water and forest. All sorts of legends are connected with the latter.
Forest fern
The forest species of fern include the following: leaf and bracken, multi-row and shield, kochedyzhnik and common ostrich. Forest varieties are distinguished by beautiful funnel-shaped rosettes of leaves. In the midst of summer, the forest fern opens itsleaves, becoming like green fountains. Do ferns bloom in the forest and why do people believe in it? The fact is that the maturation of spores is somewhat similar to the flowering of a fern.
It often happens when a plant throws out thin leaves that look like small inflorescences - that's what they take for small flowers. And in general, a plant that reproduces by spores cannot bloom - this is against all the rules of botany. Therefore, it is not really possible to know when the fern blooms.
What does the legend say?
However, it is worth going back to our ancestors. No wonder there are so many legends around the color of the fern. It was not in vain that in Russia boys and girls went to a dark and terrible forest to find untold riches. They left and disappeared, because, according to legend, at that time (the night of Ivan Kupala) all the evil spirits woke up and went free, who tried with all their might to save the fern flower. And just one look back was enough to disappear forever, without reaching the cherished goal. Our ancestors knew when the fern blooms - one night a year, from July 6 to 7. There is also an opinion that not everyone opens a flower - he chooses only the elite.
Dozens of people can pass by and not notice him, and the one and only, even who did not look for him, accidentally stumbles upon his happiness. Although, fortunately, the color of the fern did not lead: again, returning to the legends, those who still managed to find a flowering branch, who managed to find outwhether ferns bloom, sold their souls to the devil, and eventually disappeared.
What do scientists say?
Probably, as long as people live, the debate about this mysterious plant will continue. They will also pass on stories of missing people from generation to generation in the villages, there will also be daredevils who, on the cherished night, will go to the fern thickets for a magic flower. So how do you know if ferns are blooming? You can go to the forest yourself - according to legend, the fern blooms a few minutes before midnight, and at midnight its color, having gained full strength, disappears, as if torn off by an invisible hand. Or trust science. Do ferns bloom? The scientific answer is no. However, it is worth remembering that there are exceptions to everything. Ancestors believed that the fern opens a fiery red bud for loving hearts or for those who are ruled by a thirst for omnipotence. And scientists seem to say out loud that a spore plant cannot bloom. However, historians today have proven the existence of Baba Yaga. So maybe the next step is to introduce the fern flower to the world? How to know…
