What’s on these ferns?

Question

These ferns have brown beaded tips on their leaves. I had not seen these formations on a fern before. What do they represent: the beginning of growth, end of growth, some sort of bacteria? They were observed at the Upper Chagrin preserve during a guided hike. Thank you.

Naturalist's Response

These are called sori; they contain spores, which are the reproductive part of the fern, instead of seeds. Thanks for asking!

-Naturalist Denise Wolfe

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