False Bracken

False bracken is truly not bracken… it is a fern.

False bracken is a species of common fern, native to eastern forest areas of Australia.
‘False brackens’ are also known as ‘rainbow ferns’, ‘soft brackens’ and ‘common ground ferns’.
The scientific name of false bracken is Calochlaena dubia, though it was previously listed as Culcita dubia, and it is from the family Dicksoniaceae, a family of various ferns.
False bracken leaves, or ‘fronds’ as they are known, reach a length of 0.4 to 1.5 metres (1.3 to 4.9 feet), and they tend to droop at the ends.
The false bracken scientific genus name ‘Calochlaena’ is said to come from Ancient Greek, meaning ‘beautiful cloak’, while ‘dubia’, or ‘dubious’ in English, is a Latin term and has the meaning ‘doubtful’.

The leaves of false bracken are lacy and range from green to yellow-green in colour, and are hairy and quite soft to touch.
False bracken plants do not produce flowers, and instead reproduce through the use of spores that grown on the underside of the leaves.
The false bracken plant grows from a rhizome, that spreads underground and can be divided to produce more plants, and the rhizomes are covered in brown hairs.
False brackens grow as understory plants that are easily cared for, and as such, are useful as a garden plant.
False bracken plants grow to heights from 50 cm to 2 metres (1.6 to 6.6 feet) and prefer well-drained soils that are moist, and partly shady conditions.

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