Bracken Fern
Pteridium aquilinum
Bracken is the widespread native fern of open woods, barrens, and clearings, with large triangular fronds. Vigorous and rhizomatous — best for naturalizing wild areas, not tidy beds. Fiddleheads and root starch were historically eaten cooked, but modern food-safety agencies advise against it — bracken contains ptaquiloside, a compound classified as a probable carcinogen, and isn't a fiddlehead to forage.
- Family
- Dennstaedtiaceae
- Type
- fern
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 3–4 ft
- Spacing
- 4–5 ft apart
- Light
- part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist, wet
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom colors
- green
- Landscape uses
- naturalizing
- Native states
- AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY