Plant
Bracken
Picture to come.
A large fern that covers heaths, commons and woodland clearings. Archaeology shows medieval uses as thatch, sometimes packed with gorse, and as fuel: charred bracken with heather and gorse was found in a 12th/13th-century pit at Dover. It was also cut for animal bedding and flooring. Burning bracken for ash for glass and soap grew in importance later.
Caveats (confidence: medium)
Bedding and flooring use is inferred from general archaeological finds rather than specific 12th-century evidence.
Sources: archaeobotany.org
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