bracken fern
Pteridium aquilinum

Family: Dennstaedtiaceae.

Type: Fern with annual fronds.

Branching: Alternate.

Leaves: Three times pinnate fronds; the smallest frondlets resemble those of the sword fern, and that pattern is repeated at two higher levels of pinnate branching.

Twig: See photos; not commented upon.

Fruit & Flower: Sori are not often present, since bracken fern reproduces mainly along rhizomes (below-ground stems); but when present, tiny yellow to brown sori cluster at the outside margins of the leaflets, somewhat enclosed by the curling edge of the frond.

Miscellaneous: Can grow from a foot tall in sunnier spots, up to five feet tall in favorable shady locations. One of the most widespread species in the world, and grows throughout North America. Typically found in open woodland areas and chaparral, often along edges; it grows well in somewhat shady spots, but it is not fully shade-tolerant, and will not be found in more shaded areas such as redwood forest.