bracken (redirected from Pteridium aquilinum)

bracken or brake, common name for a tall fern (Pteridium aquilinum) with large triangular fronds, widespread throughout the world, often as a weed. It is considered poisonous to livestock when eaten in quantity, but the rootstocks and the young shoots, cooked, are used for food. Bracken is also a source of tannin and is used for thatching and as bedding for livestock. A beverage is made from the roots. The names bracken and brake are sometimes also applied to other large, coarse ferns and, as general terms, to a thicket of such plants. Bracken is classified in the division Polypodiophyta, class Polypodiopsida, order Filicales, family Polypodiaceae.

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bracken

 or brake

fern of the genus Pteridium, represented by a single species (P. aquilinum). Twelve varieties are found throughout the world in temperate and tropical regions. It is a noxious weed, with a perennial black rootstock that creeps extensively underground. At intervals along the rootstock, the plant sends up fronds that may reach a height of 15 ft (5 m) or more. Though they die in autumn, the fronds often remain standing throughout winter, affording cover for wildlife in some areas. The fronds are used for thatching and as fodder.