Ferns reprsent an early-diverging vascular plant lineages, and were once the dominant group on Earth and lived at the time of the dinosaurs. Most ferns are herbaceous and produce no flowers or seeds, but propagate by spores. With more than 2,215 species, China is one of the most species-rich countries in the world for fern diversity. Ferns have graceful foliage and are shade-tolerant plants and many of them are excellent horticultural species. The Garden began the introduction of ferns in 1988 and currently there are about 1,000 species in the collection, including some rare and endangered species, such as Osmunda mildei, Adiantum reniforme var.sinense, Brainia insignis, Isoetes sinensis, and Ceratopteris　thalictroides. Ferns are mainly grown in the Conservation Center, Fern Conservation Center, Shade Garden, Orchid and Butterfly Valley, Youxi Valley, Jingyi Valley and Xiaoyao Valley. Due to its excellent performance on fern conservation, the Garden was entitled as the National Fern Germplasm Bank in October 2020.