1. 1  a product of simple manual skill, as a plaited leather cord for the neck or a knife sheath, made typically by a camper or a scout. 2  work of little or no value done merely to keep or look busy. 3  a project funded by the federal government out of political favoritism that is of no real value to the community or the nation.
Unfurling fiddlehead fern frond. A frond is a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group. Other botanists allow the term frond to also apply to the large leaves of cycads and palms (Arecaceae).
The characteristics of each of these 3 parts of the fern plant are used for classification and identification. The rhizome is the stem of the fern plant. It comes in 3 basic forms: 1  An erect rhizome, which is a solid mass that gives rise to a tuft of fronds.2  You can see this type of rhizome on a king fern or a crown fern.3  A laterally growing rhizome that creeps along or under the ground. 4  It may even climb up a tree.he rhizome is the stem of the fern plant. It comes in 3 basic forms: 1  An erect rhizome, which is a solid mass that gives rise to a tuft of fronds. 2  You can see this type of rhizome on a king fern or a crown fern. 3  A laterally growing rhizome that creeps along or under the ground.