Ostrich Fern
Matteuccia struthiopteris
Family: Polypodiaceae
What it is like
Form: Irregular or sprawling.
Matteuccia struthiopteris is a FERN growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 2. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 1
Where it is found
Light shade on rocky stream banks, forming extensive colonies. Wooded ravines in Turkey, 650 - 1200 metres.
N. Temperate zone. Occasionally naturalized in Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Young fronds - raw or cooked. Used before they fully unroll, they are thick and succulent. Sometimes sold in speciality markets, the flavour can be compared to asparagus. Another report says that they are a famine food that is only used in times of need in China. Rootstock - peeled and roasted.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 1
A decoction of the leaf stalk base from sterile fronds has been taken in the treatment of back pain and also to help speed up the expulsion of the afterbirth.
Birthing aid: Used in facilitating birth, but not just to cause uterine contrctions.
Miscellany: Various medicinal actions that need more clarification.
Other
Rating: 2
Plants make a good ground cover when spaced about 60cm apart each way. They spread slowly and the fronds tend to die off earlier in the autumn than most ferns.
Miscellany: A rag-bag of items that are difficult to categorise.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Specimen, Woodland garden. Requires a moist but well-drained position and light shade. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Dislikes full sun, the leaves turning yellow and burning in such a situation. Prefers a pH between 5 and 6.5. Dormant plants are hardy to at least -20°c. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer. A very ornamental plant, it establishes rapidly. It has a short rhizome but produces long stolons, by which it spreads rapidly once established, and it can be invasive. Fertile fronds are produced after the first flush of vegetative fronds and persist throughout the following winter. The spores are shed in mid-winter. Grown commercially for its decorative fronds. These fronds are also available as a food from speciality markets. Plants can be forced in the winter to provide an early supply of the young shoots. Special Features:Attractive foliage, North American native, Invasive, There are no flowers or blooms. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 8 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a runner spreading indefinitely by rhizomes or stolons. The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length.
Propagating it: 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.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Ground Cover;
Habit: Fern
Hardiness: 2-7
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade
Moisture: Moist
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.
Its other names
Local names
Synonyms
Onoclea germanica. Pterinodes struthiopteris. Struthiopteris germanica.