Cinnamon Fern
Osmunda cinnamomea
Family: Osmundaceae
What it is like
Form: Upright or erect.
Osmunda cinnamomea is a FERN growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.4 m (1ft 4in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Sandy or alluvial soils in swamps low woods and thickets in Eastern N. America. Moist areas, acidic soils, frequently in vernal seeps from sea level to 2300 metres.
Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Florida, S. America, E. Asia.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
The young unexpanded fronds are eaten as a nibble or cooked in soups. The taste is said to resemble asparagus. The young shoots are seen as a 'spring tonic' to cleanse the body with fresh green food after a long winter eating mainly stored foods. The latent buds can be eaten in early spring, they rival chestnuts in size and flavour.
Medicine
Rating: 1
A decoction of the root has been rubbed into affected joints as a treatment for rheumatism. The root has been chewed, a small portion swallowed and the remainder applied to a snakebite. The following reports do not state which part of the plant is being used, though it is most likely that the root is being referred to. The plant is analgesic, antirheumatic and galactogogue. A decoction is used internally in the treatment of headaches, joint pain, rheumatism, colds etc, and also to promote the flow of milk in a nursing mother.
Analgesic: Relieves pain.
Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.
Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Ground cover, Rock garden, Specimen, Woodland garden. Easily grown in a damp woodland or by the margins of pools and streams. Likes a soil of swamp mud and loamy or fibrous peat, sand and loam. Succeeds in most moist soils, preferring acid conditions. Requires a constant supply of water, doing well by ponds, streams etc. Plants thrive in full sun so long as there is no shortage of moisture in the soil and also in shady situations beneath shrubs etc. Requires a shady position. Plants are hardy to at least -20°c, they are evergreen in warm winter areas but deciduous elsewhere. This species is sometimes cultivated for its edible fronds. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer. A very ornamental plant. The rhizome is large and slowly creeping. Special Features:Attractive foliage, North American native, Naturalizing, Wetlands plant, There are no flowers or blooms.
Propagating it: Spores - they very quickly lose their viability (within 3 days) and are best sown as soon as they are ripe on the surface of a humus-rich sterilized soil in a lightly shaded place in a greenhouse. Keep the compost moist, preferably by putting a plastic bag over the pot. Plants develop very rapidly, pot on small clumps of plantlets as soon as they are large enough to handle and keep humid until they are well established. Do not plant outside until the ferns are at least 2 years old. Cultivars usually come true to type. Division of the rootstock in the dormant season. This is a very strenuous exercise due to the mass of wiry roots.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Bog Garden;
Habit: Fern
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist, wet
Things to keep in mind
Although we have found no reports of toxicity for this species, a number of ferns contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable. Many ferns also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of its vitamin B complex. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is rich in vitamin B, though large quantities can cause severe health problems. The enzyme is destroyed by heat or thorough drying, so cooking the plant will remove the thiaminase.