Ostrich Fern

Matteuccia struthiopteris

Ostrich Fern is the bold, architectural fern. tall, vase-shaped, and unmistakably dramatic. The large, upright fronds flare outward from a central crown in the classic vase form that makes it look like a sculptural element, not just a plant. In full leaf, a mature clump reaches 4–5 feet and creates the kind of bold, tropical-looking structure that most people associate with much less hardy plants. It's also the fern with edible fiddleheads. The tightly coiled, bright green fiddleheads that emerge in early spring. distinctive with their papery brown scales. are considered a delicacy, harvested before they unfurl and cooked like asparagus. They have a clean, green, slightly nutty flavor. Harvest only a few from each crown to leave the plant energy to produce fronds. Site it in moist, shaded locations where it can spread freely. it colonizes readily by underground stolons, forming large, impressive colonies over time. Along a shaded stream bank, at the base of a slope where water collects, or in the moistest corner of a woodland garden, it becomes the defining structural plant of the space.