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Pteridium aquilinum – Western bracken fern

At a Glance

• Family: Dennstaedtiaceae
• Plant type: fern
• Distribution: native to the lower US states, Alaska and Hawaii, and Canada, and found on all continents (except Antarctica). One of the most widely distributed plants in the world.
• Habitat: grows well in many habitats from woodlands to open pastures and burnt-out areas, and moist to slightly dry soils. Manages both shade and sunny locations.
• Height: 2-4’
• Spores: reproductive sori with spores are found along the underside edges of the leaflets. The plants can also spread through a rhizome network
• Leaves: broad light green fronds up to 3’ long, one frond is made of many divided leaflets, rounded edges on each leaflet. Frond is generally triangular in shape and 2-3 times pinnate.
• Generation: perennial, dies back with frost
• Notable features: bracken release allelopathic chemicals (biochemicals that influence germination/growth/reproduction/survival of other organisms) that suppress the growth of other plants

Restoration and Conservation

• As bracken fern is mildly toxic, few bugs or animals eat it
• It easily establishes in disturbed, high light environments and can create monospecific stands

Ethnobotany/Commercial Use

• Commonly eaten by the people of western Washington to provide starch and fiber. Bracken rhizomes were crushed down into a flour, with methods varying between groups, then baked or dried into cakes and bread
• The rhizomes themselves could also be roasted, dried and stored, or eaten fresh
• Studies have indicated the presence of carcinogenic compounds in bracken, with consumption by humans possibly increasing the risk of stomach or throat cancer
• Usually not planted in home gardens because of its allelopathic chemicals. Best placed in isolated areas where it can form clumps/stands
• Can tolerate intense heat well, so it can be planted near asphalt driveways. However, bracken fern is also able to force its way through several inches of asphalt.

Resources

• https://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/academic-resources/slater-museum/exhibits/terrestrial-panel/bracken-fern
• http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=f304
• Norton, H.H. Evidence for bracken fern as a food for aboriginal peoples of western Wwashington. Econ Bot 33, 384–396 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02858334
• WTU: https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Pteridium%20aquilinum
• USDA: https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=PTAQ

For questions regarding the St. Edward State Park EERC Native Plant Guided Tour, contact Sarah Verlinde-Azofeifa at severlin@uw.edu.