rarauhe

Pteridium esculentum | rarauhe, bracken fern

 

A fern with a robust, long-creeping underground rhizome that allows it to spread extensively. Large, fronds rise on stiff, woody stems, with leathery leaflets that curl downward at the margins, giving the plant a coarse, distinctive form. Extremely hardy and tolerant of full sun, it establishes readily on disturbed or open ground. Due to its vigorous, spreading habit, it is best confined to large-scale revegetation or restoration projects, where its ability to stabilise soil can be beneficial, but where its invasive potential can be appropriately managed.

sucessional habitats

well drained

free draining

full sun

partial shade

height | 1m

width | 1m

Although now known to contain the carcinogen ptaquiloside, the rhizomes of bracken (aruhe) were a staple food in traditional Māori diets and were also eaten by Indigenous Australians. In Aotearoa, aruhe was particularly important for travelling, hunting, and war parties because the rhizomes were portable and energy rich. Alongside kūmara, it was often a primary carbohydrate, especially in southern regions where warmer-climate crops could not be grown. Much of bracken’s widespread distribution today reflects prehistoric deforestation and the active tending of aruhe stands on fertile soils, which produced the best rhizomes.