A forest was clearcutted about 10 years ago in Lavras county, MG, Brazil and today a natural successional stage community can be found. The dominant weed, in fitomass, coverage an hcight is the bracken-fern Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn. The West Indian foxta il (Andropogon bicornis L.) and the brazilian cogon grass (Imperata brasiliensis Trin.) are the co-dominats weeds. Periodic burnings, soil acidity, high aluminium saturation and the phytotoxicity of the P. aquilinum itself are probably the factors which could explain the present community successional stage.
Pteridium aquilinum (L .) Kuhn.; Weed communities; Forest clear-cutting; Plant succession