Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia pensylvanica)

Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia pensylvanica)
Wikimedia Commons — The Cosmonaut — CC BY-SA 2.5 ca (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ca/deed.en)

At a glance

Exposure
Partial shade
Frost limit
−45.6 °C

Cultivation

Requires a moist but well-drained position and light shade. Hardy to about -20°c. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer. This species is included in O. struthiopteris by most botanists, but it is slightly different. A very ornamental plant. Grown commercially for its decorative fronds.

Propagation

Spores - surface sow as soon as they are ripe in mid-winter and keep the soil moist. It is best to keep the pot in a sealed plastic bag to hold in the moisture. Pot up small clumps of the young plants as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow on in light shade until large enough to plant out. Division during the dormant season between October and March. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Edible uses

Young fronds - raw or cooked. Rootstock - peeled and roasted.

Habitat

Low open ground, alluvial thickets and rich woods.

Native range

Eastern N. America - C. Alaska to Dakota.

Same genus