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Pteris vittata L.
China brake

Pteris vittata
Copyright by: Shirley Denton

Family: Pteridaceae

Group: Pteridophyte

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Old World; now a widespread weed.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

FLEPPC Status: Category II Invasive

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Not Native, Naturalized

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Formerly Cultivated

Comments: For more images, click on the Atlas of Vascular Plants link below.

Other data on Pteris vittata available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Pteris vittata has been found in the following 128 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
A.D. Doug Barnes Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Alice C. Wainwright Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Arch Creek Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big and Little George Hammocks Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bill Sadowski Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Biscayne National Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Black Creek Forest Present Not Native, Naturalized
Black Point Park and Marina Present Not Native, Naturalized
Boystown Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Camp Owaissa Bauer Present Not Native, Naturalized
Camp Owaissa Bauer Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 28 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 31 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 33 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Chapman Field Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Chernoff Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Coconut Creek Maple Swamp Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Collier-Seminole State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Coral Pines Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Present Not Native, Naturalized
Crandon Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dolphin Center and Dolphin Center Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dry Tortugas National Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dupuis Reserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Eachus Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Enchanted Forest Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Everglades National Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fern Forest Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Florida City Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fred C. Babcock-Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Frog Pond/L-31 N Transition Lands Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fuchs Hammock Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
George N. Avery Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Girl Scouts South Miami Little House Present Not Native, Naturalized
Gold Coast Railroad Museum Present Not Native, Naturalized
Goulds Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Grassy Waters Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Greynolds Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Harden Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hattie Bauer Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ingram Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
John Kunkel Small Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Kendall Indian Hammocks Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Kendalwood Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lake Okeechobee Marshes Present Not Native, Naturalized
Larry and Penny Thompson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Loveland Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lucille Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ludlam Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Luis Martinez United States Army Reserve Station, Richmond Pine Rocklands Present Not Native, Naturalized
Mangrove Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Matheson Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Medlock Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Meissner Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Milton E. Thompson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
National Key Deer Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Navy Wells Pineland 23 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Navy Wells Pineland Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ned Glenn Nature Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Nicodemus Slough Present Not Native, Naturalized
Nixon Smiley Pineland Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Nixon Smiley Pineland Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Northrop Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Okeeheelee Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Oleta River State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Palm Drive Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pal-Mar Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pal-Mar Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Picayune Strand State Forest Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pine Shore Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pond Apple Slough Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pond Cypress Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Porter-Russell Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Prairie Pines Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Quail Roost Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
R. Hardy Matheson Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Railhead Scrub Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Red Reef Park, including Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Riverbend Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rock Pit 39 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rockdale Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
School Board Property (Moody Drive and Turnpike) Not Native, Naturalized
Secret Woods Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Seminole Wayside Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Silver Palm Groves Present Not Native, Naturalized
Silver Palm Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Simpson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
SOCSOUTH Present Not Native, Naturalized
South Dade Wetlands Present Not Native, Naturalized
St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Sunny Palms Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tall Cypress Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tamiami Pineland Complex Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
The Barnacle State Historic Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Trail Glades Range Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tree Island Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tree Tops Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Trinity Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Present Not Native, Naturalized
Warbler Wetland Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
West Biscayne Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
West Lake Park/Anne Kolb Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Wild Turkey Strand Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Woodmont Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Yamato Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Yellow Fever Creek Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Zoo Miami Present Not Native, Naturalized

Pteris vittata has been found in the following 7 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Not Native, Naturalized
Collier County Not Native, Naturalized
Martin County Not Native, Naturalized
Miami-Dade County Not Native, Naturalized
Monroe County (Keys) Not Native, Naturalized
Monroe County (Mainland) Not Native, Naturalized
Palm Beach County Not Native, Naturalized

Pteris vittata has been found in the following 7 habitats :
Disturbed Upland
Marl Prairie
Pine Rockland
Prairie Hammock
Rockland Hammock
Shell Mound
Sinkhole

All Images:

Pteris vittata
Copyright by: Shirley Denton