Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)

Ostrich Fern grows on mucky, swampy ground of forests from Alaska across Canada and south to the northeast U.S. north of the limit of Wisconsin glaciation. It is often used for landscaping and is one of the few edible ferns. The plant in the photo is small, just emerging from the fiddlehead stage, but larger plants can have leaves, nearly 6 feet long. Photo from Buckaloons, PA. April 2003