bracken
n. uncountablen. a tall, fern-like plant that grows in woods and on hills. It has large, triangular leaves that fold up at night and open in the morning.
n. a large, coarse fern (Pteridium aquilinum) with triangular fronds that are typically folded during the night and spread during the day. Often forms dense thickets in temperate regions.
The deer moved through the tall bracken in the forest.
Hikers must be careful not to touch the bracken as it can cause a skin rash if the sap is disturbed.
The landscape was dominated by a dense carpet of bracken, which provided essential cover for small mammals while simultaneously inhibiting the growth of other native shrubs through its extensive rhizome network.
From Middle English braken, probably of Scandinavian/North Germanic origin, from Old Norse brakni (“undergrowth”), related to Proto-Germanic brekaną and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”). Cognates include Danish bregne and Swedish bräken (“fern”).