Plants Poisonous to Livestock

Brackenfern (Pteridium acquilinum) Brackenfern is a perennial reproducing by spores and thick, scaly underground rhizomes. It usually is found growing in colonies. On established plants, leaves (fronds) arise directly from the rhizomes and reach a height of one to four feet. The leaf is three-parted or branched, and each leaf is composed of many tiny leaflets. The three-parted leaf is a characteristic of this plant which distinguishes it from other ferns. Spores are borne on the underside of each leaflet in a narrow band on the leaf margins.

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