Bracken Fern

Bracken

Bracken (Pteridium) is a genus of large, cosmopolitan, coarse ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. Brackens are noted for their large, highly divided fronds and are found on all continents except Antarctica; their typical habitat is moorland. The word bracken is of Old Norse origin, related to Swedish bräken and Danish bregne, both meaning fern. In the past, the genus was commonly treated as having only one species, Pteridium aquilinum, but the current trend is to subdivide it into about ten species. Like other ferns, brackens reproduce by spores rather than seeds or fruit. The immature fronds, known as fiddleheads, are sometimes eaten, although some contain carcinogenic compounds.

Fern

Ferns are a group of vascular plants that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They reproduce in two phases, a short-lived gametophyte that reproduces sexually to develop a spore-bearing leaf structure. Some ferns produce coiled fiddleheads, which expand into fronds.

bracken

Noun

1. Any of several coarse ferns, of the genus Pteridium, that form dense thickets; often poisonous to livestock.
2. An area of countryside heavily populated by this fern.

fern

Noun

1. Any of a group of some twenty thousand species of vascular plants classified in the division Pteridophyta that lack seeds and reproduce by shedding spores to initiate an alternation of generations.
2. A light green color inspired by the color of ferns.