Bracken is one of the most widespread ferns on Earth and is native across much of the United States, forming large stands of triangular fronds, usually 1–3 ft (0.3–1 m) tall, in open woods, pastures, and burned areas. It is well known to ranchers as a plant that poisons livestock.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A perennial fern that spreads by deep underground stems () and dies back each fall. One patch can be hundreds of years old.
- Leaves
- Fronds rise one at a time, usually 1–3 ft (0.3–1 m) tall but sometimes much taller in the West. The broad, triangular blade is cut into many small segments, and the lowest pair of side branches is often large enough to make the frond look three-parted.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Open woods
- Pastures
- Clearings and burns
- Hillsides
- Range
- Native to North America, Europe, and eastern Asia, and now found in temperate and subtropical regions nearly worldwide. It grows across the US; eastern bracken (var. latiusculum) is the form east of the Great Plains, while western states have their own variety.
- Preferred conditions
- Favors sunny to partly shaded spots with deep, well-drained, often acidic soil, and avoids waterlogged ground. It comes up quickly after fires.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Bracken has no flowers or seeds. Spores form under the rolled edges of the frond in mid to late summer, and patches also spread steadily through their rhizomes.
Cautions
- Cautions
- Bracken contains ptaquiloside, a cancer-causing compound, and an enzyme that destroys vitamin B1. Livestock losses are high on the Pacific Coast, in the eastern and midwestern states, and in parts of the Intermountain West. Cattle and horses are hit hardest (sheep are more resistant), usually after weeks of grazing it when other feed runs short in late summer, or from eating hay mixed with bracken. The young are eaten in some countries, but they are not safe raw.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Bracken used to be treated as a single worldwide species. Botanists now split it into several species or many varieties, and North America has several varieties, such as eastern bracken (var. latiusculum) and hairy bracken (var. pubescens).
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- The species name aquilinum means eagle-like; Linnaeus said it refers to an eagle-like figure seen when the rhizome is cut across.
- The Ohlone people of California ate the young fronds of hairy bracken raw or cooked and used a root decoction as a hair rinse.
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