Britannica
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How many fern species are known to science?
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Fern
Tree fern (Cyathea medullaris).
There are approximately 10,500 known extant fern species, though estimates vary and have reached as high as 15,000. This variation in the count exists because some groups remain poorly studied and new species continue to be discovered in unexplored tropical regions. Other sources note that more than 9,000 species are currently known to science.12