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NZ Plants
Pteridium esculentum - rārahu, bracken fern
Family: Dennstaedtiaceae
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Frond with many-branched leaflets
I MacDonald
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Leaflets upper surface
I MacDonald
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Leaflets upper surface
I MacDonald
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Leaflets upper surface
I MacDonald
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Leaflets lower surface
I MacDonald
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Leaflet lower surface with inrolled margins and hairs
L Jensen
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Leaflet lower surface, red curly hairs on midvein and straight hairs close to margins
L Jensen
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Leaflet lower surface, straight hairs to either side of midvein
L Jensen
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Detail of straight hairs
L Jensen
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Fertile leaflets, lower surface
I MacDonald
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Fertile leaflet lower surface, inrolled leaflet margin covering sori
L Jensen
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Detail of marginal sori with unopened sporangia
L Jensen
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Pteridium esculentum is a terrestrial fern with a robust, long-creeping, underground stem (rhizome). The large, broadly elliptic fronds have a woody stem (stipe) and midrib (rachis) with stiff, leathery leaflets curled downwards at the margins
Found throughout New Zealand in open places, aggressively invading cleared land..
Vegetative characteristics |
Fertile frond and sporangia |
|---|---|
Plant form: creeping stem (rhizome) with fronds up to 2 m in length |
Frond appearance: same as sterile |
Frond stalk, midrib: woody, grooved with sparse hairs |
Sporangium location: lower frond surface |
Frond shape: ovate to elliptic |
Sporangium position: leaflet margin |
Frond blade: 3-4-pinnate (divided up to 4x into leaflets or pinnae) |
Sporangia distribution: in groups (sori) |
Frond surface: sparse hairs on under surface |
Sorus shape: continuous along leaflet margin |
Leaflets: linear attached along their base (adnate) |
Sorus covering: a reflexed leaflet margin and an inner membranous covering. |
