Bracken [SEP] parent taxon
Bracken
Bracken ("Pteridium") is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells (eggs and sperm). Brackens are noted for their large, highly divided leaves. They are found on all continents except Antarctica and in all environments except deserts, though their typical habitat is moorland. The genus probably has the widest distribution of any fern in the world.
In
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- "Fagus sylvatica" (European beech)
- "Pteridium aquilinum" (northern bracken fern)
- "Quercus robur" (pedunculate oak)
- "Ulex europaeus" (common gorse)
Taxonomic history.
In 1772, Scopoli described and named the type specimen from Slovenia as "Melampsalta montana", and this was later changed to "Cicadetta montana". It has turned out to be not a single taxon, but a complex of closely related species distinguishable by their songs. Using