ostrich fern

American  

noun

1. a tall North American fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris, with large mature leaves that resemble ostrich plumes, a popular landscaping plant whose curled new leaves, called fiddleheads, are eaten as a vegetable.

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Etymology

Origin of ostrich fern

First recorded in 1820–25

Example Sentences

They are also great sauteed in a pan with fiddleheads, the unopened foliage of the ostrich fern, whose season is approaching.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2023

Anyone who has grown the ostrich fern knows that it is a mover, inclined to colonize.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2023

Then he thought again, offering another suggestion: Try planting it with ostrich fern and giant Solomon’s seal, which hail from the same kind of spots.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2023

The good news is that the Mid-Atlantic region is a fern nirvana in that we can grow ferns from more northern and southern regions — for example, the cold-loving ostrich fern or the Southern maidenhair.

From Washington Post • Jul. 8, 2015

Fig. 67.—A, embryo of the ostrich fern just before breaking through the prothallium, × 50. st. apex of stem. l, first leaf. r, first root. ar. neck of the archegonium.

From Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany For High Schools and Elementary College Courses by Campbell, Douglas Houghton