One of the most magnificent ferns for the garden – Ostrich fern has an upright growth habit with 3 ft. long graceful fronds. The young fronds (called fiddle heads as the emerge) are EDIBLE and coveted by Chefs!
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.
Straight Species