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You are here: Home / Plants / Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic / Ferns / Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern)

Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern)

Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern) fiddleheads in March. Photo by Elaine L. Mills, 2018-03-09, National Arboretum.
Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern) fronds unfurling in March. Photo by Elaine L. Mills, 2018-03-31, National Arboretum.
Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern) in May landscape. Plant in foreground is Impatiens capensis. Photo by Elaine L. Mills, 2015-05-02, National Arboretum.
Fertile Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern) fronds in September. Photo by Elaine L. Mills, 2018-09-29, National Arboretum.
Sterile Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern) frond in October. Photo by Elaine L. Mills, 2014-10-06, National Arboretum.
Pinnate-pinnatifid frond dissection of Matteuccia struthiopteris

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Native mostly in the northern half of the Mid-Atlantic Region,* Ostrich Fern is indigenous in only three places in Virginia, including along the Potomac River in Arlington and Fairfax counties. It requires a large landscape to show off to full advantage its long, finely dissected fronds, suggestive of ostrich plumes. Fern Fiddleheads, Sterile & Fertile Fronds, Colonies Height: 3–6 feet Spread: 5–8 feet Bloom Color: Non-flowering Characteristics Deciduous perennial in upright & arching clumps Fiddleheads emerge in spring, unfurling to medium green, finely divided, arching, 5-foot sterile fronds, which die back in the fall Green fertile fronds emerge in summer, maturing to dark brown, erect and 11⁄2 feet tall; they can persist for a year & release spores in early spring Spreads by underground rhizomes, vigorously under favorable conditions, to form large colonies Attributes Tolerates clay soil, dense shade, erosion, rabbits No serious pests or diseases Deer rarely damage Fiddleheads are harvested in early spring and sold as gourmet food in parts of New England Provides protective cover for wildlife Growing and Maintenance Tips Excellent Replacement for Soil Requirements: Humus-rich, acidic Athyrium nipponicum - Japanese Painted Fern Light Requirements: Partial Shade, Shade Water Requirements: Moist, Wet Fertile fronds may not develop in dense shade or in immature plants; soils must not dry out Use as dramatic accent in large woodland gardens or wet areas with room to spread *It is native to Arlington and Fairfax counties, DC, northern and western MD, and much of PA. It is adventive (non-native; an escape from cultivation into natural areas) in the DE Piedmont. Hardiness: USDA Zones 3–7 developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Elaine Mills, U.S. National Arboretum

Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic

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Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern)

Native mostly in the northern half of the Mid-Atlantic Region,* Ostrich Fern is indigenous in only three places in Virginia, including along the Potomac River in Arlington and Fairfax counties. It requires a large landscape to show off to full advantage its long, finely dissected fronds, suggestive of ostrich plumes.

*It is native to Arlington and Fairfax counties, DC, northern and western MD, and much of PA. It is adventive (non-native; an escape from cultivation into natural areas) in the DE Piedmont.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets