Also known as Oncolea struthiopteris
Native most temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere including Northern Asia, Europe and North America.
Oblong, compound leaves are a dull green and have a featherlike look and texture.
Do well in human-distrubed conditions an also survive in other conditions. Can thrive in all shade conditions, and do not do well in prolonged direct sunlight.
Do well in human-distrubed conditions and areas with contaminated soils like those near septic tanks.
Wetland Indicator Status FACW (Facultative Wetland)
Hardiness zone 3-8
Sentimental and Symbolic Value
Tightly-wound, immature fronds (leaflets) called fiddleheads are cooked like a vegetable and considered a delicacy in rural North America as well as in Japan.
Fiddlehead ferns were thought during medieval times to only bloom on the eve of the Feast of Saint John the Baptist, June 23, also known as Midsummer's Eve. Anyone who possessed these seeds (which were invisible), they could speak to birds, "find buried treasure, and have the strength of forty men".
The fern represents good luck and youth in many cultures, including those of the Maori, Japanese and English.
Specimen photographed found at Lost Lake, Groton, Massachusetts. Part of the Shoreline Plants assignment (10/20/2021)
Plant History and Etymology
Matteuccia is a New Latin name in reference to Italian physicist Carlo Matteuci. Struthiopteris derives from the Ancient Greek στρουθίων (strouthíōn), "ostrich" and πτερίς (pterís), "fern". The fern was transferred from another genus of ferns, Onoclea, which means "closed vessel" in Greek. Fiddlehead ferns were eaten by British settlers and soldiers, who discovered that they were a traditional part of the Maliseet Indians of northern Maine and southern Canada. Other tribes such as the Penobscot and Passamoquoddy also seem to have used it, but stopped by the time Europeans and Americans observed them. American entrepreneurs, in collaboration with the Maine government, tried to can, preserve and sell fiddlehead greens, but this venture was not extremely lucrative.
Design Considerations
It has a highly attractive, vase-like form with long-lasting, showy leaves that turn gold in the autumn. They are easy to grow and edible, making them a great choice for an edible garden or any low-maintenance planting project. It is generally found along floodplains and riverbanks, benefitting from the annual deposits of nutrient-rich flood sediment.
Sources
Aderkas, Patrick von. “Economic History of Ostrich Fern, Matteuccia Struthiopteris, the Edible Fiddlehead.” Economic Botany 38, no. 1 (1984): 14–23. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4254569.
“Onoclea Struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.” 2021. Ncsu.edu. 2021. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/onoclea-struthiopteris/.
“Matteuccia Struthiopteris (Fiddlehead Fern, Ostrich Fern): Go Botany.” 2021. Nativeplanttrust.org. 2021. https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/matteuccia/struthiopteris/.
Old Farmer's Almanac. 2021. “Ferns, Folklore, and Fiddleheads.” Old Farmer’s Almanac. 2021. https://www.almanac.com/fern-folklore#:~:text=The%20fern%20symbolizes%20eternal%20youth,the%20hope%20for%20future%20generations.