NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica

Ostrich Fern

Scientific Name:	Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica
Genus:	Matteuccia
Species Epithet:	struthiopteris
Common Name:	Ostrich Fern
Plant Type	Fern/Clubmoss/Allies
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Onocleaceae (Sensitive Fern Family)
Native/Alien:	US Native
Size:	3-6 ft., 6-12 ft.
Light:	Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day, Less than 2 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Moist, Wet
Habitat Description:	Alluvial forests and calcareous wetlands (Weakley 2015). Native from VA north and west; not native in NC.
Leaf Arrangement:	Basal
Leaf Retention:	Deciduous
Leaf Type:	Fern Frond
Leaf Form:	Compound
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Has some wildlife value
Landscape Value:	Not Recommended for home landscapes
State Rank:	^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G_T_: Subspecies or Variety Rank (add status to NOTES section) ^(*Key)
State Status:	^(*Key)
Notes:	"The sterile fronds of ostrich fern are 2-8 ft. tall, once-pinnate, tapered at both base and apex, brown-stemmed, and slightly scaly. Fertile fronds are shorter, with edges of pinnae turned in to form a beaded plume persistent through winter. The rootstock is creeping, producing urn-like clusters of fronds." Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center Not native to NC. Global Rank: G5T5
Fertile Fronds in Winter December 2004 © Tom Harville
A heat tolerant cultivar 'The King'. The earliest fiddleheads to emerge in spring. cultivated specimens in Mecklenburg Co,NC Larry Mellichamp
Note the height and robustness of the colony. Near Lake Superior, MI Larry Mellichamp
Note the fertile fronds that produce millions of spores in the winter. Cultivated specimen in Mecklenburg County, NC Larry Mellichamp
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record