Pteridium aquilinum: Country Or Region Of Origin
Europe, Northern Asia and Norther Africa
Plant Profile: Pteridium aquilinum
Taxonomy: Pteridium aquilinumNames
Adelaarsvaring, Bracken Fern, Brake, Brake Fern, Eagle Fern, Hog-Pasture Bracken, Pasture Bracken, Tailed Bracken Fern, Umbewe, Umhlashoshana
Phonetic Spelling:ter-ID-ee-um ak-will-AI-num
Genus:Pteridium
Species:aquilinum
Family:Dennstaedtiaceae
This plant thrives in environments ranging from medium to high light and can tolerate full sun exposure. It prefers acidic, sandy soil that can be moist to somewhat dry, and it features long, creeping rhizomes.
All parts of the plant are toxic, including the fiddleheads, which are the curled-up leaves.
The poison is delivered through ingestion.
Pteridium aquilinum Feature Summary
Pteridium aquilinum Image Gallery
Tags
#deciduous
#rain garden
#drought tolerant
#fern
#aggressive
#deer resistant
#rhizomes
#problem for horses
Similar Plants
Pteridium aquilinum Feature Summary
Attributes
Europe, Northern Asia and Norther Africa
EDIBLE PARTS: Unfurled fronds HARVEST TIME: Only collect fronds from areas you know have NOT been treated with pesticides. Gather young fiddleheads in the early spring, as soon as they first appear. The fronds tend to get tough and bitter as time progresses. They should still be very tightly curled. SAFE HANDLING PROCEDURES: Soak fronds in warm water to remove dirt and debris. Do not use dish detergent or any type of sanitizer. These products can leave a residue. Remove the brownish, papery scales by rubbing with the hands. Soak for several hours in lightly salted water. Cook for 20 minutes on low heat in a pan filled with about 1/2 inch water. Drain well and serve like greens.
Perennial
Division
Root Cutting
Fruit
No fruits. This plants reproduces via spores.
Flowers
No flowers.
Leaves
Fronds erect or often inclined to one side, broadly triangular, usually divided into 3 sections, each with small, elongated segments with minute spore-sacs along the margin. The terminal segment of pinnule long and narrow; often 6 to 15 times longer than wide.
Deciduous
Green
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Other/more complex
Deltoid
Lobed
Dentate
3-6 inches
Poisonous to Humans
Poisoning commonly occurs in horses having inadequate forage, or when the plant is incorporated into hay. All parts of the plant are toxic in both green and dry forms. The toxic component causes a thiamine deficiency (an essential nutrient for central nervous system function and metabolism); clinical signs develop after one to two months of chronic ingestion, and can worsen over a two to three day period. Effects include weight loss, fever, incoordination/ excessive staggering (known as "bracken staggers"), the developement of a wide stance with arched back, severe muscle tremors, inability to get up which could lead to serious injury. Death may occur within one to 2 days of onset if not treated.
Thiaminase inhibitor. Milk from cows that have ingested this fern may be toxic to humans.
High
Leaves
Stems
Whole Plant Traits
Native Plant
Poisonous
Fern
Deciduous
Creeping
Rapid
Fine
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Acid (<6.0)
Good Drainage
Occasionally Wet
3 feet-6 feet
12 inches-3 feet
4a
4b
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
8b
8a
3a
3b
9a
9b
10b
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Stem
Green
Landscape
Drought Tolerant Garden
Rain Garden
Cottage Garden
Native Garden
Border
Mass Planting
Accent
Woodland
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Problem for Horses
Pteridium aquilinum Image Gallery
Pteridium aquilinum Attributes
Pteridium aquilinum: Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems)
Deer
Pteridium aquilinum: Edibility
EDIBLE PARTS: Unfurled fronds HARVEST TIME: Only collect fronds from areas you know have NOT been treated with pesticides. Gather young fiddleheads in the early spring, as soon as they first appear. The fronds tend to get tough and bitter as time progresses. They should still be very tightly curled. SAFE HANDLING PROCEDURES: Soak fronds in warm water to remove dirt and debris. Do not use dish detergent or any type of sanitizer. These products can leave a residue. Remove the brownish, papery scales by rubbing with the hands. Soak for several hours in lightly salted water. Cook for 20 minutes on low heat in a pan filled with about 1/2 inch water. Drain well and serve like greens.
Pteridium aquilinum: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Pteridium aquilinum: Recommended Propagation Strategy
Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting
Pteridium aquilinum Fruit
Pteridium aquilinum: Fruit Description
No fruits. This plants reproduces via spores.
Pteridium aquilinum Flowers
Pteridium aquilinum: Flower Description
No flowers.
Pteridium aquilinum Leaves
Pteridium aquilinum: Leaf Description
Fronds erect or often inclined to one side, broadly triangular, usually divided into 3 sections, each with small, elongated segments with minute spore-sacs along the margin. The terminal segment of pinnule long and narrow; often 6 to 15 times longer than wide.
Pteridium aquilinum: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Pteridium aquilinum: Leaf Color
Green
Pteridium aquilinum: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Pteridium aquilinum: Leaf Arrangement
Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled
Pteridium aquilinum: Leaf Shape
Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate
Pteridium aquilinum: Leaf Margin
Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate
Pteridium aquilinum: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Pteridium aquilinum: Leaf Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Pteridium aquilinum Poisonous to Humans
Pteridium aquilinum: Poison Symptoms
Poisoning commonly occurs in horses having inadequate forage, or when the plant is incorporated into hay. All parts of the plant are toxic in both green and dry forms. The toxic component causes a thiamine deficiency (an essential nutrient for central nervous system function and metabolism); clinical signs develop after one to two months of chronic ingestion, and can worsen over a two to three day period. Effects include weight loss, fever, incoordination/ excessive staggering (known as "bracken staggers"), the developement of a wide stance with arched back, severe muscle tremors, inability to get up which could lead to serious injury. Death may occur within one to 2 days of onset if not treated.
Pteridium aquilinum: Poison Toxic Principle
Thiaminase inhibitor. Milk from cows that have ingested this fern may be toxic to humans.
Pteridium aquilinum: Poison Severity
High
Low
Medium
Pteridium aquilinum: Causes Contact Dermatitis
No
Yes
Pteridium aquilinum: Poison Part
Bark
Flowers
Fruits
Leaves
Roots
Sap/Juice
Seeds
Stems
Pteridium aquilinum Whole Plant Traits
Pteridium aquilinum: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Pteridium aquilinum: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Pteridium aquilinum: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Pteridium aquilinum: Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Rapid
Pteridium aquilinum: Texture
Fine
Medium
Coarse
Pteridium aquilinum Cultural Conditions
Pteridium aquilinum: Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Pteridium aquilinum: Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Pteridium aquilinum: Soil Drainage
Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry
Pteridium aquilinum: Available Space To Plant
12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet
Pteridium aquilinum: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
10b
3a
3b
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
Pteridium aquilinum: Soil Texture
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Pteridium aquilinum Stem
Pteridium aquilinum: Stem Color
Green
Pteridium aquilinum: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Pteridium aquilinum Landscape
Pteridium aquilinum: Landscape Theme
Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden
Pteridium aquilinum: Design Feature
Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree
Pteridium aquilinum: Resistance To Challenges
Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind
Pteridium aquilinum: Landscape Location
Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland
Pteridium aquilinum: Problems
Allelopathic
Contact Dermatitis
Frequent Disease Problems
Frequent Insect Problems
Invasive Species
Malodorous
Messy
Poisonous to Humans
Problem for Cats
Problem for Children
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses
Short-lived
Spines/Thorns
Weak Wood
Weedy
