This is Bracken! Pteridium aquilinum. It is a fern but unusual in that the sori (spore containing bodies) lie around the periphery of the leaflets and centrally as with other ferns.
The spores are considered carcinogenic and some water is filtered to remove them.
In the past it was a useful plant, providing bedding, being used for tanning and as a fertiliser. Now it is mostly considered an invasive weed with control programmes in many environmentally sensitive sites.
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