E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Matteuccia struthiopteris (L.) Todaro
ostrich fern
Dryopteridaceae (Wood Fern family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Matteuccia struthiopteris
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SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC

Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica

Introduction

A tall stately fern with carefully positioned fronds forming an elegant cone shape. This fern grows across Canada (and around the northern hemisphere) and has been made famous by New Brunswickers who collect the young emerging fiddleheads in early spring for a culinary delicacy ....This fern will eventually spread by underground rhizomes to form lush colonies.

Note Author: Gary Lewis, Phoenix Perennials

Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.

Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Large perennial with leaves of two forms, sterile leaves deciduous, fertile leaves overwintering.

Leaves:
Sterile leaves in vase-like clusters, 30-140 cm long, 12-30 cm wide, light green, oblanceolate, broadest in the upper 1/4, 1-pinnate, pinnae deeply cut in 30-80 segments; fertile leaves stiff, narrowly lanceolate, dark brown, about 60 cm long, 5-10 cm wide, with linear, obtuse pinnae.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist to wet sandy or silty banks of rivers and streams and alluvial forests in the lowland and montane zones; infrequent, but locally abundant throughout BC, absent on the Queen Charlotte Islands and Vancouver Island; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to MA, VA, OH, IN, MO and SD; Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Matteuccia struthiopteris

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	15	404	1050
Slope Gradient (%)	0	0	15
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	19	268	360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	4	5	8
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	E
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	119
Modal BEC Zone Class	SBS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	BWBS(8), CWH(45), ESSF(1), ICH(7), IDF(2), SBS(53)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is montane boreal & cool temperate.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Matteuccia pensylvanica (Willd.) Raymond
Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica (Willd.) Morton
Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pubescens (Terry) Clute
Onoclea struthiopteris (L.) Hoffm. p.p.
Onoclea struthiopteris var. pensylvanica (Willd.) B. Boivin
Pteretis nodulosa (Michx.) Nieuwl.
Pteretis pensylvanica (Willd.) Fern.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Dryopteridaceae
Flora North America treatment for Matteuccia struthiopteris
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-08 9:05:33 PM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.