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The character 蕨 is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 艹 ('grass') atop gives its plant meaning, while the element 厥 (jué) beneath supplies the sound. It refers to the bracken fern, a coarse, leafy non-flowering plant that reproduces by spores. Its young, curled fronds were historically gathered as a wild edible vegetable, especially by farming communities facing food shortages.
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