Plant biologists report that a species of tree fern found only in Panama reanimates its own dead leaf fronds, converting them into root structures that feed the mother plant. The fern, Cyathea ...

In the Panamanian rainforest, scientists found the first known plant species to transform decaying tissue into a new source of nutrients. By Douglas Main In the rainforests of western Panama, the ...

Ordinarily, once a fern's leaf fronds have died, the plant has no further use for them. Such is not the case with the Cyathea rojasiana fern, though – a scientist has discovered that its dead fronds ...

Scientists have discovered a zombie tree that converts its leaves into roots as it dies. The Cyathea rojasiana tree fern, which is native to Panama in Central America, was studied by plant biologists ...

One of the most popular houseplants today is the fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata). Yet this arboreal gem is also a candidate for outdoor growing. You would not know this from looking at the climate ...

Q: I noticed a plant in my woods that had fern-like leaves with different shades of green in a distinct pattern. I don’t notice them in the summer, though, just in early spring. Is this something that ...

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign plant biology professor James Dalling and his colleagues discovered that some tree ferns recycle their dead fronds into roots. The researchers call these ...