An Affinity for Symmetry

The bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) is emerging. We are struck by the exquisite symmetry of the new stalks with their fiddleheads. This prompted a brief investigation into plant symmetry. Here’s what we found. The article “Nature’s Affinity for Symmetry” from AskNature explores the prevalence of symmetrical forms in nature, attributing this phenomenon to the efficiency of genetic coding. Symmetrical structures require less genetic information to produce, making them more likely to arise through random mutations. Once these structures demonstrate functional advantages, natural selection favors their retention. Evolutionary simulations support these observations, showing a higher occurrence of symmetrical shapes between symmetrical and asymmetrical forms.

Notably, Bracken has been around for about fifty-five million years. We encourage its growth simply by managing the blackberry amongst the bracken. It’s good to know that a Western bracken fern’s aggressive rhizome system can be hundreds of years old, and some alive today may be over 1,000 years old.