Bracken Fern - native (Pteridium esculentum)

Other names: Austral Bracken.

Family: Dennstaedtiaceae (Bracken family).

Native of Australia, New Zealand, and some nearby islands.

Occurrence: Bracken is a common plant in higher rainfall forests. In the Central Goldfields it is usually found in gullies, and in areas with added shelter and moisture.

Identification:

• it has hard, leathery, shiny divided leaves
• it spreads by underground stems
• it grows from about half a metre to several metres in height
• there is a small triangle between the smallest leaf divisions (see the illustration below).

A similar species grows in the northern hemisphere. Bracken may be an undesirable plant on farmland, where it can be a vigorous coloniser.

Photos: 1: Bracken frond (leaf). The frond is twice-divided. The undersurface is paler than the upper. 2: Part of a bracken frond, showing the triangles between the smallest leaflets. 3: Bracken may grow to more than head height in good conditions.Mt Pilot. 4. Dense Bracken. Cranbourne Botanic Gardens.