Bracken
or BRAKE, a species of fern very common in the United States and Europe. It has a black creeping rhizome, with branched pinnate fronds growing to the height often of several feet, and it forms an excellent covert for game. When burned it yields a good deal of alkali. The rhizome of pteris esculenta, a native of New Zealand, was formerly a staple article of food among the Maoris.