Few native, woodland ground covers rival the ancient, elegant and edible ostrich fern, or Matteuccia pensylvanica.

Happening upon a mass of sun-dappled, dancing and rustling giant ostrich fern fronds is one of summer’s singular delights. Given favorable growing conditions, the dramatic fronds can spread to cover acres of ground. Although their large, ostrich-plumelike fronds make a striking accent plant in a smaller garden, 3-to-5-foot-tall ostrich ferns are breathtaking when massed in shady woodland areas, borders, naturalized gardens or near streams or ponds.

Ostrich fern fiddleheads, resembling the curled scroll of a violin, are a coveted spring edible. The large, light-green fiddleheads emerge in mid-spring and, unless harvested for culinary uses, will unfurl to form sterile green fronds. These sterile fronds form a huge vaselike crown from which the fertile (spore-producing) fronds emerge in mid-summer. The fertile fronds are spiky, dark brown and beaded and persist through winter, long after the sterile fronds have gone dormant.

Uses

Ostrich Fern fiddleheads have been a popular edible for hundreds of years and are considered the most, if not only, safe variety for human consumption. Fiddleheads have an earthy, green flavor that has been described as a cross between mushroom, artichoke and asparagus. They are loaded with antioxidants, omega fatty acids and fiber, and were an important spring diet staple for Native Americans and settlers.

Fiddleheads grow very quickly (up to several inches per day) and should be harvested between 2 to 6 inches, so the season can be short. Only half of the fiddleheads from the fern crown should be harvested in order to maintain production in subsequent years. It is vitally important to remove the papery skins from fiddleheads, and to clean and cook them thoroughly before eating.

Growing requirements

Hardiness zones: 3 to 7

Sun: Partial shade to full shade

Water: medium to wet; soil must never be allowed to dry out

Soil: cool, wet, sandy; tolerates eroded and clay soils

Maintenance: low maintenance; separate as desired

Propagation: Ostrich ferns can be grown from spores, but they spread by rhizomes and multiply quickly; young plants can be easily lifted from the ground and moved.

Pests and diseases: No serious insect or disease problems.

Once a month, the OSU Extension Master Gardener's Office of Franklin County profiles a plant that occurs naturally in central Ohio.