Tailed bracken fern
Pteridium pseudocaudatum
Dennstaedtiaceae


Landscape Uses:

Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.

Ecological Restoration Notes:

Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries.
Description:
Large herbaceous fern.
Height:
Typically 3-4 feet in height. Spreading from underground stems (rhizomes) and forming large open to dense patches.
Growth Rate:
Moderate.
Range:
Eastern and central United States west to Texas and south to Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County mainland.
Habitats:
Pinelands and moist forests.
Soils:
Moist, well-drained sandy soils, usually without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements:
Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance:
High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
Full sun.
Flower Color:
N/A.
Flower Characteristics:
There are no flowers; the plants reproduce by spores.
Flowering Season:
Summer-fall.
Fruit:
Inconspicuous spores.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Horticultural Notes:
Can be grown from spores and division.
Comments:


George D. Gann