Why is the term fern ally preferred over fern relative?

FERN ALLIES



Fern ally is a general term covering a somewhat diverse group of vascular plants that are not flowering plants and not true ferns. Like ferns, these plants reproduce by shedding spores to initiate an alternation of generations. There are three or four groups of plants considered to be fern allies. In various classification schemes, these may be grouped as classes or divisions within the plant kingdom. The more traditional classification scheme is as follows (here, the first three classes are the "fern allies"):



FERN RELATIVE



The term 'relative' has other meanings as well . In comparison to..., In relation to....



Therefore it is better to stick to ' Ally'