Bracken fern – gurgi

What is a bracken fern?

Bracken ferns, scientifically known as  Pteridium esculentum, are a type of large fern that belongs to the Pteridaceae family. They can be found in the ground and understorey layers of forests.

Bracken ferns have distinctive bright green triangular fronds which are the leaf-like structures that grow from the ground. The underside of the bracken fern fronds are hairy. Most bracken ferns are around 0.5 to one metre tall, however some can grow up to 1.5 metres.

Bracken fern plant

Where are bracken ferns found?

Bracken ferns are found all over the world. The species  Pteridium esculentum is native to Australia, New Zealand and other countries in the Southern Hemisphere.

Bracken fern is found in many environments throughout New South Wales. It grows in a range of ecosystems including rainforests, eucalypt forests, coastal dunes and even along roadsides.

Bracken ferns prefer to grow in areas with high rainfall, although they can also survive in soils that do not hold water very well.

Bracken ferns often grow in shaded gullies of forests like this one found at the Field of Mars Reserve.

What role does bracken fern play in the ecosystem?

In places where the fronds of mature bracken ferns arch over the ground they create a suitable microclimate for small vertebrates and invertebrates living on the ground.

Bracken fern fronds. can provide a dense ground cover. Small animals can shelter under the ferns.

How are bracken ferns used by Aboriginal Peoples?

The Darug Peoples of the Sydney basin refer to bracken fern as  gurgi.

Aboriginal Peoples in the Sydney region use bracken fern for food, shelter and medicine. Ferns are gathered in summer and autumn when they are mature, allowing for new shoots to grow in winter.

The starchy rhizomes are used as a source of food, however they need to be specially prepared and cooked to remove toxins. Rhizomes can be roasted and chewed to extract the starch or beaten into a paste and baked into a kind of bread.

The sap of the young juicy stems of the fronds are used as an antiseptic and rubbed on skin to relieve the stinging and itching of insect bites and deter any leeches from attaching.

Should people eat bracken fern?

All parts of bracken fern are toxic and should never be eaten without knowledge of correct uses and preparation of the plant. Young fronds are more toxic than mature fronds. Bracken fern is especially poisonous to cattle and sheep. Milk produced by cattle who have eaten bracken fern can contain these toxins too.

What structural adaptations do bracken ferns have to their environment?

One of the key adaptations of bracken ferns is their underground rhizomes which are thick and horizontal underground stems. These rhizomes can be several metres long.

Rhizomes store and transport nutrients and water allowing the ferns to survive in dry or harsh conditions. Bracken ferns are also able to withstand bushfire due to their ability to re-sprout quickly from rhizomes after a fire has passed through the area.

Ferns are adapted to living in dry and bushfire prone areas.

How do bracken ferns reproduce?

Bracken ferns reproduce using spores. The spores are minute, dust-like particles which are produced in bodies called 'sori'. Sori form in a continuous brown line along the edges of the underside of the fronds.

When conditions are right, the spores are released into the air. If they land in a suitable environment, they can develop into new fern plants. Spores are usually produced and dispersed in late summer to autumn.

Bracken fern sori on the underside of a frond. The sori contains minute spores. The bracken fern pictured is Pteridium aquilinum, found in the Northern Hemisphere.

How do bracken ferns change as they grow?

Bracken ferns are perennial, which means they live for several years.

New fronds are coiled. As the fern grows, the fronds unfurl and expand. Mature fronds are harder and darker in colour.

Fronds usually emerge by spring and die off in autumn.

New growth is coiled.

As the fern grows, the fronds unfurl and expand.

Eucalypt forest digital book

Find out more

Written by teachers, Eucalypt Forest is an exciting digital book which explores the beautiful natural environment of the Australian eucalyptus forest.

Learn about the interactions between plants and animals in the forest and how people can interact with and care for these special natural areas.

Containing a suite of interactive activities, videos and beautiful images, this book will encourage you to go out and explore your local eucalypt forest.

Download free from Apple Books