Ferns: Lessons in Survival from Earth’s Most Adaptable Plants
- elanorwexler
- Sep 20
- 5 min read
How long have ferns existed for? How do they reproduce? How do ferns survive in different climates around the world?
All of these questions are explored and answered in this in-depth look at the latest research on ferns and their ability to adapt to their environment. Punctuated with stunning illustrations by Laura Silburn, this book is well worth losing yourself in for an afternoon to explore the world of ferns.
Article by Elanor Wexler, botanical illustrator and ABA Committee and Education Team member
Your first impressions when you hold this book will be of how beautifully presented it is. It is a hardback volume, between A4 and A5 in size, and has tantalizing glimpses of Laura’s botanical art work on the front cover. It just has that feeling of quality, and as you flick through you really feel that you are holding something very special.
Laura Silburn became known for illustrating Ferns after success with this theme at the RHS show in 2018. I had not come across her work until I was asked to write this review, and coincidentally attended a workshop led by Laura for a florilegium group. It has been a real delight to get to know her work, and to attend the workshop with her at which I learnt a great deal about approaching drawings of this technical nature.
At the workshop Laura explained that the RHS show had led to her being known as the ‘Fern Lady’ and therefore she was approached to produce the artwork for this new title. (It should be noted that Laura does not only illustrate ferns – you may like to view her website to see her catalogue of work and to see details of her teaching http://www.laurasilburn.co.uk/gallery.html.)
Laura produced a set of botanical plates for this project which include dissections and magnified details of some of the ferns being discussed in the chapters. In the book itself, the publishers have chosen to show the habit studies separately to the other details, but you can view the original artworks on Laura’s website if you wish to.
As well as these full-page botanical illustrations of specific fern species, Laura also produced artistic impressions of ferns in their environments, along with smaller inserts as diagrams and dissections. Her style has a light touch to it which I really like and she depicts the earthy colours of the ferns beautifully. Her compositions show the complex detail of these plants along with giving an impression of their growing habit and, for several, the density of that growth.
The book’s title sets the theme for the whole volume – the survival and adaptability of ferns. This is a set of plants that predates the dinosaurs and I was fascinated to read about the vast sizes that early ferns would reach, for example horsetail ferns that grew to the size of small buildings.
Laura’s illustration of the carboniferous landscape gives us an impression of how dominant and forest-like these early ferns were.
The early chapters of the book allow us to explore the botany of ferns, and explain how the fern life cycle works, with some interesting detail about spore development and dispersal. Laura's illustrations are used here to aid understanding; if, like me, you enjoy grappling with the science of what is going on, there is a wealth of detail to get into.
The fern life cycle is important in defining what a fern is, and the authors communicate very clearly that ferns are unusual in that they have a mid-stage of development where a small new plant called a gametophyte is produced prior to fertilisation occurring. This gametophyte nurtures the fertilised egg which in turn goes on to grow into the fern. One of the things I like about this book is that the authors revisit topics and key points throughout the chapters, enabling you to embed that knowledge as you read on.
In terms of adaptation, ferns do seem to have managed to do this very successfully! Chapters explore how ferns thrive in a very wide range of habitats: from forest floors to epiphytic ferns living in trees, those which live in the water or those that can even survive in desert conditions.
In each chapter there is a good balance of scientific information and social or geographical context. The authors both inform the reader of the latest research as well as providing anecdotes and stories that keep your attention. Their love for their subject shines through every chapter of this book – they really are champions of the fern!
In later chapters, the relationships between ferns and other species are explored. I particularly enjoyed reading about the symbiotic relationship demonstrated by ‘ant-fern’ species; these ferns create homes called domatia for the ants to live in, for example within the roots, and then obtain nutrients from the faeces of the insects – essentially, these plants have created their own natural source of fertilizer.
You can see an example of these domatia in Laura’s illustrations of the Tatsuta's ant fern.
The social impacts of ferns and their impact on humans is the final focus for the book. Some fern species grow so prolifically that biological solutions are being developed to control them. An example is the story of Salvinia molesta - a fast-spreading fern which has choked water courses in locations including Cameroon, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Research was able to finally control the spread of this weed by the introduction of a weevil who liked to feast on it.
Dominant species that could have very positive impacts are also discussed - could ferns be the answer to some of the challenges we are facing? The Azolla species has the potential to be used to aid CO2 capture, and brake ferns can store arsenic in their fronds and therefore could be used to decontaminate polluted soils and water. And perhaps we can learn from species such as the resurrection fern that can cope with extreme heat and dehydration.
With around 11,000 known species, one book could never cover it all, but I really felt that I had explored the sheer diversity and adaptability of ferns by reading this volume. And along with all of that new knowledge, I was able to spend time gazing at Laura’s beautiful artwork. An afternoon well spent!
Biographies
Laura Silburn is a botanical artist working in Devon and Cornwall, where she is a Fellow of the Eden Project Florilegium Society and teaches botanical art courses at the Eden Project, the Sawpit Studio in Heligan Gardens and at RHS Rosemoor, as well as teaching overseas. She has three RHS Gold medals (2013,2014 and 2018) as well as Best Exhibit and Best Botanical Painting Awards. She paints both to record species and celebrate plants. Her work ranges from botanical documentation for archives and florilegia to artistic studies of plants exploring our relationship to them. Based on Laura’s biography on http://www.laurasilburn.co.uk/
“Fay-Wei Li grew up in Taiwan and studied for his PhD at Duke University, where he and his advisor, Kathleen Pryer named a new fern genus Gaga after Lady Gaga (the popstar). In 2017, Fay-Wei joined Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University as an assistant professor. His fern research has featured in the New York Times, the Economist, and Rolling Stone magazine”. Biography taken from https://www.nhbs.com/ferns-lessons-in-survival-from-earths-most-adaptable-plants-book
“Jacob S. Suissa completed his PhD in Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. As a classically trained botanist and evolutionary biologist, Jacob asks how plants build their bodies, how they function, and how they have evolved across geologic time, with a focus on ferns. Jacob runs the science communication video series, Let's Botanize” Biography taken from https://www.nhbs.com/ferns-lessons-in-survival-from-earths-most-adaptable-plants-book
To purchase this book:
Available widely online and in bookshops
