Specimen record

Ostrich Fern

Matteuccia struthiopteris

Description

The largest fern in New England, ostrich fern produces dramatic vase-shaped clumps of plume-like fronds up to 1.5 meters tall along stream banks and in floodplains. Its tightly coiled spring fiddleheads are one of the few ferns considered safe to eat (when properly cooked). In late summer, stiff, dark brown fertile fronds emerge in the center of the clump and persist upright through winter, releasing spores.

Identification tips

• 1Very large (up to 1.5 m) fronds in a symmetrical, vase-shaped clump
• 2Fronds widest at the middle, tapering to both tip and base (like an ostrich plume)
• 3Separate dark brown, woody fertile fronds in center of clump (persist through winter)
• 4Deep, U-shaped groove on the front of the stipe (stem) — run your finger along it
• 5Grows in rich, moist alluvial soils along streams and in floodplains