The fern is a type of leafy plant which reproduces by spores, and for this reason has neither seeds nor flowers. The leaf of a typical fern, called a frond, is easily recognizable from its fanlike shape. . Because they require lots of water, most New Zealand ferns are found in moist, forested areas. They are very diverse in size, ranging from tiny ferns a few millimeters long to tree ferns that can reach 20 meters in height. One type of fern, the bracken, was eaten as a staple food by the Maori, who called it raraka.