Pteridium esculentum

Common name: Austral Bracken

Meaning of name:

Peridium is from the Greek word pteris, meaning a kind of fern, and the suffix idium. Esculentum is from the Latin word esculentus, meaning edible.

Aboriginal Use:

The roots were eaten after they were pounded into a paste and roasted.

Distribution:

Occurs in seasonally wet areas of the southwest of Western Australia. Also occurs in eastern Australia.

Description:

A fern to 2 metres tall.

Notes:

This species doesn’t flower but produces spores on the undersides of the leaves.

References:

Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings, a Glossary. FA Sharr. Third edition 2019.

Flora of the Perth Region. NG Marchant, JR Wheeler, BL Rye, EM Bennett, NS Lander, TD Macfarlane. 1987.

Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pteridium_esculentum

Atlas of Living Australia https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/taxon/apni/51249803

Florabase https://florabase.dbca.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/57