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Pteridium caudatum (L.) Maxon
Lacy bracken fern

Pteridium caudatum
Copyright by: George D. Gann, 16 March 2015
Portion of frond in habitat, Everglades National Park
Florida, USA

Family: Dennstaedtiaceae

Group: Pteridophyte

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Peninsular Florida, the West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Secure

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: Visit our Natives For Your Neighborhood website for more information and images. Reported by John Kunkel Small in 1918 for Royal Palm Hammock.

Synonyms: P. aquilinum var. caudatum, Pteris caudata.

Other data on Pteridium caudatum available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Pteridium caudatum has been found in the following 135 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
A.D. Doug Barnes Park Present Native
Andrew Dodge Memorial Pineland Present Native
Arch Creek Addition Present Native
Arch Creek Park Present Native
Big and Little George Hammocks Present Native
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Native
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Present Native
Bill Sadowski Park Present Native
Biscayne National Park Present Native
Black Creek Forest Present Native
Bocilla Preserve Present Native
Bonair Beach Parcel, Martin County Present Native
Boystown Pineland Present Native
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve Present Native
Camp Owaissa Bauer Present Native
Camp Owaissa Bauer Addition Present Native
Castellow Hammock parcel 28 Present Native
Castellow Hammock parcel 31 Present Native
Castellow Hammock parcel 33 Present Native
Castellow Hammock Park Present Native
Chapman Field Park Present Native
Chernoff Hammock Present Native
Collier-Seminole State Park Present Native
Coral Pines Park Present Native
Coral Reef Park Present Native
Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) Present Native
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Present Native
County Line Scrub, Miami-Dade County Present Native
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Reported
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park Present Native
Danforth Park Present Native
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Native
Dolphin Center and Dolphin Center Addition Present Native
Doris Davis Forman Wilderness Preserve Natural Area Present Native
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park Present Native
Dupuis Reserve Present Native
Eachus Pineland Present Native
Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Everglades National Park Present Native
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Present Native
Fern Forest Nature Center Present Native
Florida City Pineland Present Native
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Frenchman's Forest Natural Area Present Native
Frog Pond/L-31 N Transition Lands Present Native
Fuchs Hammock Preserve Present Native
George N. Avery Pineland Present Native
Girl Scouts South Miami Little House Present Native
Gold Coast Railroad Museum Present Native
Goulds Pineland Present Native
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge Reported
Greynolds Park Present Native
Halpatiokee Regional Park Present Native
Harden Hammock Present Native
Hattie Bauer Hammock Present Native
Hawk's Hammock Park Present Native
Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area Present Native
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Holiday Hammock Present Native
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Present Native
Ingram Pineland Present Native
Ives Estate Park Present Native
J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area Present Native
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Present Native
John Kunkel Small Pineland Present Native
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Present Native
Juno Dunes Natural Area Present Native
Kendalwood Present Native
Larry and Penny Thompson Park Present Native
Little Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center Present Native
Loveland Hammock Present Native
Lucille Hammock Present Native
Ludlam Pineland Present Native
Luis Martinez United States Army Reserve Station, Richmond Pine Rocklands Present Native
Mangrove Preserve Present Native
Matheson Hammock Park Present Native
Medlock Pineland Present Native
Meissner Hammock Present Native
Middle Torch Hammocks Parcel 3063, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Military Trail Natural Area Present Native
Moreno Pine Rockland Present Native
National Key Deer Refuge Present Native
Navy Wells Pineland 23 Present Native
Navy Wells Pineland 39 Native
Navy Wells Pineland Preserve Present Native
Ned Glenn Nature Preserve Present Native
Nixon Smiley Pineland Preserve Present Native
Northrop Pineland Present Native
Oleta River State Park Present Native
Palm Drive Pineland Present Native
Pal-Mar Present Native
Peck Lake Park Present Native
Picayune Strand State Forest Present Native
Pine Island Ridge Natural Area Present Native
Pine Ridge Sanctuary Present Native
Pine Shore Preserve Present Native
Porter-Russell Pineland Present Native
Prairie Pines Preserve Present Native
Quail Roost Pineland Present Native
R. Hardy Matheson Preserve Present Native
Ramrod Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Rock Pit 34 Present Native
Rock Pit 39 Present Native
Rockdale Pineland Present Native
Rocky Point Hammock Present Native
Ron Ehmann Park Present Native
Savannas Preserve State Park Present Native
School Board Property (Moody Drive and Turnpike) Native
Seabranch Preserve State Park Present Native
Seminole Wayside Park Present Native
Silver Palm Groves Present Native
Silver Palm Hammock Present Native
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Present Native
SOCSOUTH Present Native, Cultivated Only
South Dade Wetlands Present Native
Southern Glades Present Native
Sugarloaf Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Sunny Palms Pineland Present Native
Tall Cypress Natural Area Present Native
Tamiami Pineland Complex Addition Present Native
Tradewinds Park & Stables Present Native
Trail Glades Range Present Native
Tree Island Park Present Native
Trinity Pineland Present Native
Tropical Park Present Native
Twin Rivers Present Native
West Biscayne Pineland Present Native
West Lake Park/Anne Kolb Nature Center Present Native
Wild Turkey Strand Preserve Present Native
Woodmont Natural Area Present Native
Yamato Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Yellow Fever Creek Preserve Present Native
Zoo Miami Present Native

Pteridium caudatum has been found in the following 9 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Native
Charlotte County Native
Collier County Native
Lee County Native
Martin County Native
Miami-Dade County Native
Monroe County (Keys) Native
Monroe County (Mainland) Native
Palm Beach County Native

Pteridium caudatum has been found in the following 10 habitats :
Coastal Strand
Disturbed Upland
Maritime Hammock
Mesic Flatwoods
Mesic Hammock
Pine Rockland
Rockland Hammock
Scrubby Flatwoods
Shell Mound
Strand Swamp

All Images:

Pteridium caudatum
Copyright by: George D. Gann, 16 March 2015
Portion of frond in habitat, Everglades National Park
Florida, USA
Pteridium caudatum
Copyright by: George D. Gann
emerging frond in habitat
Everglades National Park, 2012
Pteridium caudatum
Copyright by: George D. Gann