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Southern Bracken

Pteridium aquilinum var. pseudocaudatum

In the Carolinas and Georgia, mainly in dry sandy or rocky woodlands, often locally abundant in longleaf pine sandhills and pine flatwoods. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not scored

Native status unresolved in Louisiana. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 53%

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 35 Louisiana parishes.

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

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

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

6CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Pteridium

  • Callopistria cordataSilver-Spotted Fern Moth
  • Callopistria granitosaGranitose Fern Moth
  • Callopistria mollissimaPink-Shaded Fern Moth
  • Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
  • Fagitana litteraMarsh Fern Moth
  • Olethreutes osmundanaFern Olethreutes
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist 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
Also known as

Pteridium aquilinum var. pseudocaudatum

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5T5 [G5]
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources