Bracken, fern, Common bracken
Pteridium esculentum

Family: Dennstaedtiaceae

What it is like

A fern. It grows 0.8-1.5 m tall. The frond is rigid and greatly divided. The leaflets are small and narrow. They are dark green and leathery. The edges of the leaves tends to turn under. There are long rhizomes (underground stems) covered with fine brown hairs. The spores are beneath the fronds. These are very small.

Caution: The fern contains ptaquiloside a chemical which causes cancer and a chemical which slows down formation of bone marrow.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in undergrowth in wet dense forests above 400-500 m altitude in the tropics. It does best in moist places. In Northeastern India it grows between 1,600-3,200 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 8-11. Tasmania Herbarium.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Britain, Canada, Cambodia, China, Europe, Fiji, India, Indochina, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Samoa, SE Asia, Tasmania, Vanuatu, Worldwide

How it is used for food

The young unfurled fonds are eaten as a vegetable. They should be soaked in water for 24 hours and dried before being cooked and eaten. The young underground rhizomes are also eaten. It is ground to a paste and can be mixed with wheat or barley flour. The roots are roasted, crushed into a paste and then baked. CAUTION: Bracken has been linked with stomach cancer.

Edible parts

Rhizome, root, fronds, leaves, caution

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Geewan, Gurgi, Makkitch, Mawkum, Mukine, Muulaa, Rahurahu, Ta, Thnang

Synonyms

Pteridium aquilinum var. esculentum (Forst.f.) Kuhn; Pteris aquilina Linn.; Pteris esculenta G. Forst.;