Asked in Word and Phrase Origins
Word and Phrase Origins
What is the etymology of the word pteropsida?
Answer

Wiki User
September 11, 2007 7:29AM
Pteropsida are type of fern, but the term encompasses several sub-types:
see http://www.answers.com/pteropsida
A large group of vascular plants characterized by having parenchymatous leaf gaps in the stele and by having leaves which are thought to have originated in the distant past as branched stem systems.
ptero - Wing; feather: pterion http://www.answers.com/ptero
which makes sense if you think about the shape of a fern's leaves.
opsida - suffix for the taxonomic class of plants