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Southern Bracken

Pteridium pseudocaudatum

Mainly in dry sandy or rocky woodlands, often locally abundant in longleaf pine sandhills and pine flatwoods. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

31
Good

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Light
Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
July to September

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Leaves

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 67 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Forests and woodlands

Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain.
Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

Pine flatwoods

Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Pteridium

  • Callopistria cordataSilver-Spotted Fern Moth
  • Callopistria granitosaGranitose Fern Moth
  • Callopistria mollissimaPink-Shaded Fern Moth
  • Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
  • Fagitana litteraMarsh Fern Moth
  • Morrisonia latexFluid Arches, Fluid Mamestra
  • Olethreutes osmundanaFern Olethreutes
  • Petrophora subaequariaLeaping Looper, Northern Petrophora
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Dennstaedtiaceae
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Not applicable

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “July to September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Not applicable” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Light · “Partial shade; Full shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Soil pH · “Acidic” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Also known as

Pteridium aquilinum var. pseudocaudatum

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5T5 [G5]
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

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How to check your spot

Sources