Frond

[1] In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds[2] and some botanists restrict the term to this group.

[3] Other botanists allow the term frond to also apply to the large leaves of cycads, as well as palms (Arecaceae) and various other flowering plants, such as mimosa or sumac.

A hastula is a flap of tissue borne at the insertion of the blade on the petiole on the upper, lower, or both leaf surfaces[8][9] Bifurcate fronds may also develop.

The extinct Devonian seed plant Cosmosperma polyloba demonstrated the early evolutionary diversification of frond branching patterns, presenting both bifurcate and trifurcate types.

Associated with each sorus in many species is a membranous protective structure called an indusium, which is an outgrowth of the blade surface that may partly cover the sporangia.

In paleontology of Ediacaran marine organisms, a frond may be defined as "a rangeomorph unit with a growth tip that can generate primary branches".

[13] Frondescence is the production of leaves; it can also refer to the abnormal development of floral parts into leafy structures, though this is usually called phyllody.

[14] The palm frond has been a symbol of victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life originating in the ancient Mediterranean world.

They were glued into collectors' albums, affixed to three dimensional objects, used as stencils for "spatter-work", inked and pressed into surfaces for nature printing, and so forth.