Pteridium aquilinum
bracken fern, bracken, brackenfern, northern bracken fern, western brackenfern, fougère des aigle, western bracken
Family
Dennstaedtiaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Attachment
petiolate
Leaf Type
bipinnate, compound, tripinnate
Growth Form
fern
Flower Month
July - September
Height (meters)
0.0 - 2.0
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
native
Lifespan
perennial
Growing Season
Warm season
Wetland Class
FACU
Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism
6
Cultural Information
Best propagated by division, but spores can also be used (Steffen 1997).
Natural History
Found mostly in pinewoods and pine savanna but ventures into prairies at forest interface.
Habitat
Dry woodlands and thickets, poor soil and open woods, cutover areas, and pastures. Does well in the open sunlight.
Plant Uses
The fiddleheads (new unfurled fronds) of bracken fern are reported to be edible cooked, but the tiny rachis hairs must be rubbed off first. It is said that a tea made of the Brachen Fern is good for worms. rarely used as an ornamental because of its wide spreading habit and its tendency to spread by wide creeping rhizomes.