Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)

Family: Polypodiaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

The plant is a course fern with long, creeping, woody, branched, hairy rhizomes and solitary fronds. The large, pinnately compound, 3 divided frounds are stout and erect to reclining, with a feltlike covering near the base. Form: Irregular or sprawling.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

flavourless, though they are considered to be a delicacy in Japan. — It can be dried and ground into a powder.; The root is very fibrous so traditionally it was baked after being dried, the outer skin was peeled off and the roots pounded into a powder with sticks so that the inner fibres could be removed.; The dried root will store for years.; The root contains 60% starch.

Habitat & North American Range

Heath, woodland and grassland. A common and highly invasive weed of acid soils, it is rarely found on limestone or wet peats. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7)