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Western Bracken Fern
Pteridium aquilinum
  
About Western Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum) 5 Nurseries Carry This Plant Brackens (Pteridium) are a genus comprising several species of large, coarse ferns. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells (eggs and sperm). Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly divided leaves. They are commonly found on moorland. Brackens are cosmopolitan, being found on all continents except Antarctica and in all environments except deserts. The genus probably has the widest distribution of any fern genus in the world. In the past, the genus was commonly treated as having only one species, Pteridium aquilinum, but the recent trend is to subdivide it into about ten species.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Fern

Size
Size
3.3 - 6.6 ft tall

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer

Wildlife Supported
 


 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4 confirmed , 3 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Prefers well drained loam

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Meadows, woodlands and slopes

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 8.2" - 154.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 5.84", Coldest Month: 20.3" - 55.9", Hottest Month: 45.1" - 80.7", Humidity: 0.01" - 29.25", Elevation: -23" - 10727"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Hairy Brackenfern, Northern Bracken Fern


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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