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Pteridium aquilinum

Bracken Fern

At a Glance: Rhizomous perennial fern with large, much-divided solitary fronds,

Height: Usually 3-6 feet (1-2 meters) tall, sometimes taller.
Growth Form: Fern.
Stems: Green to light brown at base.
Leaves: Blades triangular, 2-3 times pinnate, hairy; stalk stout, longer than the blades; leaflets 10 or more pairs, upper ones reduces and lance-shaped, ultimate segments round toothed, margins rolled.
Flowers: Produces spores. Sori marginal, continuous, covered by rolled leaf margin; indusium not evident.
Flowering Period: none.


Photo © 2003, Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status: FACU (facultative upland)	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value

(data not available)

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: Bracken fern leaves were used by Northwest Coast tribes to line traditional pit fires. The dried, chewed rhizomes were used as tinder by the Nuu-chah-nulth. Bundles of the fibers were used as torches.
Food Uses: The rhizomes were eaten by almost all aboriginal peoples, but because they are constipating, they were consumed with fish eggs or oil.
Toxicity: Could cause stomach cancer..

Interesting Facts: Could be toxic, implicated in causing stomach cancer and livestock poisoning.

Suggested References

Alden, P., D. Paulson. 1998. National Audubon Society, Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest. Chanticleer Press. Page 92.
Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 378.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 14.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 90.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 54.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 374.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 348.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 420.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 65.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.