Matteuccia struthiopteris ‘The King’ – Ostrich Fern – Dryopteridaceae (The Wood Fern Family)

Description Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is a native species across Canada made famous by New Brunswickers who collect the young emerging fiddleheads in early spring as a culinary delicacy. Boil or sautee and apply a healthy amount of butter (but don’t eat them raw). ‘The King’ is a cultivar that boasts a very tall 4-7 foot stance and a spread of 3 to 5 feet wide. A stately, ornamental fern with carefully positioned fronds forming an elegant upward-facing cone. Very cold hardy for most parts of Canada. Ostrich fern will eventually spread by underground rhizomes to form lush colonies. Requires evenly moist but not soggy soil. Spectacular in a woodland setting, by ponds, in the shady border and bed, mass planting and as a specimen. Deer and rabbit resistant. Often listed as hardy to zone 3 but likely hardy to zone 1 like the species.