Common Bracken facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Common Bracken |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pteridium
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| Species: |
aquilinum
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Pteridium aquilinum, often called bracken or common bracken, is a type of fern. It's also known as the eagle fern. This plant grows in many parts of the world. You can find it in cool and warm areas across both the northern and southern halves of the Earth. Its tiny, light spores can travel far, helping it spread everywhere.
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What's in a Name?
The famous scientist Carl Linnaeus first described bracken in 1753. He called it Pteris aquilina. The name aquilina comes from the Latin word aquila, which means "eagle".
Linnaeus explained that if you cut the root of the plant, you can see a pattern inside. This pattern looks a bit like an eagle. Some people also think the shape of the fern's large leaves, called fronds, looks like an eagle's wing.
How Bracken is Grouped
Bracken was once thought to be the only species in its group, called Pteridium. But scientists have now found that there are up to 11 different species in this group. Friedrich Adalbert Maximilian Kuhn placed it in the Pteridium group in 1879.
Scientists have studied bracken from many places around the world. They found two main types. The "southern" type is called Pteridium esculentum. Even though they share the name "bracken," they are different species.
What Bracken Looks Like
Common bracken is a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years. It's also a herbaceous plant, so it doesn't have a woody stem. In winter, its leaves die back.
The plant grows large, triangle-shaped leaves called fronds. These fronds grow one by one from an underground stem called a rhizome. They can reach up to 1 meter (3 feet) tall. The main stalk, or stipe, can be about 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) thick at the bottom.
The rhizome can grow very deep, up to 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) underground. It can also spread out, reaching up to 15 meters (49 feet) long! Because it grows from these spreading rhizomes, you often see bracken growing in large, dense patches. All the plants in one patch might even be genetically identical.
In spring, new shoots called "fiddleheads" pop up from the rhizome. These shoots are coiled and covered in silver-gray hairs. They can grow quite tall before they unroll into full fronds.
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Inside a bracken rhizome
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How Bracken Reproduces
Bracken ferns reproduce using spores. These spores are found in small brown spots called sori. The sori are located on the underside of the fronds. Bracken releases its spores during July, August, and September.
Where Bracken Lives
Bracken grows in many different places. You can find it in pastures, forests with deciduous (leaf-shedding) and coniferous (evergreen) trees, and on hillsides. It especially likes acidic soils.
This plant is very adaptable. It can quickly grow in areas that have been disturbed, like after a fire or logging. In some places, like England, it can even take over areas where it is native. For example, it has spread into areas of heather plants on the North Yorkshire moors. In Ireland, bracken is common in open woodlands and sandy fields.
Where Bracken is Found
Bracken is originally from Europe, Eastern Asia, and North America. But now, it grows almost everywhere in the world. In the Americas, it's found across the United States and in Canadian provinces like Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland. Its northern range reaches southern Alaska, and its southern range extends to northern Mexico and the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean. It's often considered a weed in acidic pastures in northwestern Europe.
Uses of Bracken
Bracken as Food
Even though bracken can be toxic, people have eaten it for a long time in many parts of the world. This is because it grows almost everywhere. How people feel about eating it depends on their culture. In the United Kingdom, where bracken grows very well, people used to eat the underground stems (rhizomes) during and after World War I. However, today, the Royal Horticultural Society advises against eating it because of its toxicity.
Bracken is a popular vegetable in Korea, Japan, the Russian Far East, and parts of China. Historically, it has been one of the most important wild vegetables in these areas. People from these countries who move to new places can often still find bracken to eat because it grows globally.
In Korea, bracken is called gosari. It is usually soaked, boiled, and then stir-fried. It's often served as a side dish called namul. It's also a key ingredient in bibimbap, a popular mixed rice dish.
In Japan, bracken is known as warabi (蕨, ワラビ). A jelly-like starch made from bracken is used to make a chilled dessert called warabimochi. Young bracken shoots are also eaten as a type of sansai (mountain vegetable). They can be steamed, boiled, or added to soups. People also preserve the shoots in salt, sake, or miso.
Bracken shoots have also been used to make beer in Siberia and by some Native American groups. The underground stem (rhizome) can be ground into flour to make bread. In the Canary Islands, people historically used the rhizome to make a porridge called gofio.
Bracken leaves are used in the Mediterranean region to filter sheep's milk. They are also used to store fresh ricotta cheese.
Health Studies
Scientists have studied bracken for its possible anti-inflammatory (reducing swelling) and antioxidative (protecting cells) properties.
Is Bracken Safe to Eat?
Bracken contains a chemical called ptaquiloside. This chemical can be harmful. It is known to cause health problems in animals. Some studies have also linked it to certain types of cancer in humans, like stomach cancer. High rates of stomach cancer are found in Japan and North Wales, where young bracken stems are eaten. However, it's not fully clear if bracken is the direct cause or if other factors are involved. The spores of the plant have also been suggested to be harmful.
But there's good news! The harmful chemical, ptaquiloside, can dissolve in water. Soaking bracken in cool water helps to reduce the amount of this chemical. Korean and Japanese cooks have traditionally soaked the shoots in water and ash to make them safer to eat before cooking.
Ptaquiloside also breaks down at room temperature. When bracken is boiled, the harmful chemical almost completely disappears. Adding salt and baking soda can also help to remove the chemical. Some research suggests that taking selenium supplements might help protect against the harmful effects of ptaquiloside from bracken.
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See also
In Spanish: Pteridium aquilinum para niños
