| Description | Ostrich Fern (matteuccia struthiopteris) is a tall fern that is one of the easier to get established and grow. Will jump around the garden. |
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| Pronunciation | (mat-TEW-kee-uh)(struth-ee-OH-ter-is) |
| Plant Type | All Plants, Ferns - Hardy |
| Hardiness Zone | at least 5 |
| Sunlight | Shaded areas are the best. I have seen this plant grown in full sun, and it will look nice in the early part of the summer, but as the summer progresses, getting hotter and drier, the plants suffer. They become pale and crispy. |
| Moisture | Moist is the best but will tolerate relatively normal soils. It helps to provide these with organic mulch to help maintain moisture. This is most critical when they are newly planted. |
| Soil & Site | Fertile, moist, organic soils are the best. It will adapt to most average soils. I like to add lots of leaf mold, compost, or peat moss to the soil before planting these. |
| Flowers | Ferns do not produce flowers. They were around before the evolution of flowering plants (angiosperms) |
| Fruit | spores |
| Leaves | The fronds of this plant are tall and erect. They arch over at the top, forming a vase shape. When a frost kills the main fronds, the shorter sterile stalks will remain. I find these add some winter interest to the site. |
| Stems | rhizomes |
| Dimensions | A tall fern getting 3-5' depending on the growing site. You can space these plants 18-24" on center. |
| Maintenance | It should be done if they need to be transplanted before the fronds start uncurling from their fiddleheads. The longer you wait, the harder it is to get them established. |
| Propagation | All ferns produce a seed-like structure called a spore. After germinating, the young plants undergo a complex life cycle called alternation of generation. This plant will also spread by producing underground runners. One person called this the" jumping fern" because it seems to pop up around the area. It will jump around if it likes the site. |
| Misc Facts | The genus for this plant is named after an Italian physicist (Carlo Matteucci, 1800-68) |
| Author's Notes | I have found this one of the easier ferns to grow in the urban landscape—a good fern for naturalizing. |
| Notes & Reference | #90-Ferns for American Gardens (John T Mickel), #228-Encyclopedia of Garden Ferns (Sue Olsen), #274-Site Authors' observations and growing experiences |
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