What makes a fern a fern?

Ferns are distinctive plants characterized by their vascular structure and unique reproductive methods. They possess fronds, which are typically large, divided leaves that unfurl from a coiled form known as a fiddlehead. Unlike flowering plants, ferns reproduce via spores rather than seeds, with a life cycle that includes both a gametophyte and a sporophyte stage. This combination of features—vascular tissues, spore reproduction, and specific leaf structures—classifies them as ferns within the plant kingdom.