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Ostrich Fern
Matteuccia struthiopteris

Greenhouse Location:

12A-S

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Image courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc

Vitals -

Type: Perennial

Zone: 3-7

My Zone?

EXPOSURE

Part Sun to Shade

BLOOM SEASON

Non-blooming or blooms are insignificant

SIZE

36"-6'

36"-48"

ATTRIBUTES

Cultivar Notes -

Ostrich Fern

One of the largest and most popular ferns in cultivation today. The dark green, pinnate fronds are shaped like ostrich plumes, being much wider at the top and tapering down to a bare stipe.

The first set of leaves is sterile and has a gracefully arching form. These leaves can reach heights of 6’ in ideal environments. This set of leaves dies back by early to midsummer and is replaced by a set of fertile, dark green leaves which are about half the height of the sterile ones. These leaves turn a shiny bronze-gold in fall, becoming brown in winter.

Species Notes -

Matteuccia struthiopteris

Ostrich ferns need plenty of space to grow since they are rapid spreaders. They spread by dense underground runners which extend out in all directions, quickly forming colonies.

Genus Notes -

Matteuccia

The Ostrich Fern is the only species from this small genus that is represented in gardens, and it is prized for its bold architectural quality. It thrives in average to damp soil, but it sulks in the heat and humidity of the South.

Ostrich FernMatteuccia struthiopteris

Ostrich Fern
Matteuccia struthiopteris