Fern Taxonomy (Classification)
Kingdom: Plantae
Kingdom is the highest level in the classification system.
This is the level that divides plants from bacteria, fungi and animals.
Division: Pterophyta
Division separates ferns from angiosperms (flowering plants).
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Filicales
This order contains the more common ferns. Other orders have more primitive characteristics.
This separation is based on sporangia development.
Family: Blechnaceae
Families consist of many genera with common characteristics.
Example: The Blechnaceae family contains the genus Woodwardia and also Blechnum.
Genus:Blechnum
Genus is the first part of the binomial system for naming individual plants.
All plants with the same genus have many similar characteristics.
Species: occidentale
Species is the second part of the binomial system.
The genus and species together are the scientific name for one particular plant.
These can be further defined with the terms cultivar or variety.
These terms specify a particular growth habit that is different from other varieties of the species itself.
Example: Adiantum raddianum ‘Ocean Spray’.
So, we can say that the fern Blechnum occidentale belongs to the family of Blachnaceae, within the order of Filicales, within the class of Polypodiopsida, in the division Pterophyta and is, of course, part of the Plantae kingdom.
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