A curator’s frond regards

Ferns look, reproduce and behave like no other plants. And this book is like nothing else on the subject. First, it’s not a field guide. Only a few of the world’s 12,000 species of ferns and their close relatives are featured and identified. Secondly, it’s fun to read. The author shares his rampant curiosity and enthusiasm in 33 essays that celebrate ferns in a context beyond botany and horticulture.

We learn of iridescent ferns, fossil ferns and the spiral geometry of fiddleheads. There’s the potato fern, with tubers that harbor ants, and the history of pteridomania -- the fern craze of Victorian England. Moran, curator of ferns at the New York Botanical Garden, also explains why islands are richer in ferns than continents and how nitrogen-fixing ferns are used to fertilize rice paddies.

Anecdotes of his research and travel are peppered with Shakespeare and other literary allusions. Line drawings, photos, maps and an excellent glossary elucidate technical details. Never stuffy, this natural history lesson is for plant and nature devotees of all experience levels.

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Lili Singer