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EXPLORE > PLANTS > VASCULAR PLANTS
Pteridium aquilinum
One of the most common coastal ferns is the bracken fern. In fact, there’s no other fern as widely distributed as this one. The plant is recognizable by its large, solitary fronds which break into triangular blades. The fronds are normally a dark green, but can become yellow during periods of drought.
Ferns reproduce in several different ways but do not produce seeds or fruit. Large plants will eject spores into the air while younger ones will produce eggs and sperm. When reproducing sexually, the sperm rely on water to reach the eggs of another plant, thus the plant’s close association with wet environments. Because it grows on a rhizome, the plant can also “clone” itself. Using a combination of these reproductive processes, bracken fern will form dense thickets with large specimens growing along a rhizome which can stretch up to 8 feet (2.4 m). Once established, these fern colonies perform a similar ecological function as a forest canopy; providing shelter and collecting moisture on its leaves which benefits other plants living beneath them.
Young ferns, known as fiddleheads, are a delicacy in some parts of the world but are now a suspected carcinogen.
Distribution
The bracken fern is one of the oldest and most successful ferns on earth. Its ancestors date back 55 million years and it can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They are common along lake shores, wetlands and in both wet and dry forests.
Conservation Status
Common.
Pteridium aquilinum
One of the most common coastal ferns is the bracken fern. In fact, there’s no other fern as widely distributed as this one. The plant is recognizable by its large, solitary fronds which break into triangular blades. The fronds are normally a dark green, but can become yellow during periods of drought.
Ferns reproduce in several different ways but do not produce seeds or fruit. Large plants will eject spores into the air while younger ones will produce eggs and sperm. When reproducing sexually, the sperm rely on water to reach the eggs of another plant, thus the plant’s close association with wet environments. Because it grows on a rhizome, the plant can also “clone” itself. Using a combination of these reproductive processes, bracken fern will form dense thickets with large specimens growing along a rhizome which can stretch up to 8 feet (2.4 m). Once established, these fern colonies perform a similar ecological function as a forest canopy; providing shelter and collecting moisture on its leaves which benefits other plants living beneath them.
Young ferns, known as fiddleheads, are a delicacy in some parts of the world but are now a suspected carcinogen.
Distribution
The bracken fern is one of the oldest and most successful ferns on earth. Its ancestors date back 55 million years and it can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They are common along lake shores, wetlands and in both wet and dry forests.
Conservation Status
Common.
