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Matteuccia orientalis

Oriental ostrich fern

A deciduous fern with widely ovate, pinnate, bright green sterile fronds surrounding long, narrower, fertile fronds that emerge near black and turn reddish-brown in autumn. The stems are long helping to give a spreading, almost pendulous habit.

Synonyms
Onoclea orientalis
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Size
Ultimate height
0.5–1 metres
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
0.5–1 metres
Growing conditions
Clay
Loam
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Poorly–drained
pH
Acid, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Green Black
Summer Green
Autumn Green Bronze
Winter
Position
  • Full shade
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade
Aspect

North–facing or East–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H5
Botanical details
Family
Onocleaceae
Native to GB / Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming, Spreading branched
Genus

Matteuccia are rhizomatous deciduous ferns, sometimes with stolons, forming shuttlecock-like rosettes of erect or spreading, pinnately divided fronds, with smaller, erect, bead-like fertile fronds

Name status

Correct

Plant range
Asia

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in a moist shady spot in neutral or slightly acidic soil.

Propagation

Propagate by division in spring or from spores

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Architectural
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Low Maintenance
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Underplanting of roses and shrubs
Pruning

Dead or damaged fronds can be removed as necessary

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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