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Osmundastrum spp.
cinnamon fern
Eastern North America and eastern Asia
Deer Resistant
Native to North America
Overview
Osmundastrum spp. is a genus in the family Osmundaceae usually treated as monotypic, containing the cinnamon fern (O. cinnamomeum), a large deciduous fern of eastern North America and eastern Asia. It was long placed in Osmunda spp. but differs in structure and represents an ancient fern lineage, with a fossil record reaching back more than 200 million years. Plants form bold, vase-shaped clumps of sterile fronds 0.6-1.5 m (2-5 ft) tall, broadly lance-shaped and once-pinnate with deeply lobed leaflets, that emerge in spring covered in silvery to cinnamon wool. Separate fertile fronds rise in the centre of the clump, shorter and stiffly erect, densely covered in bead-like sporangia that turn bright cinnamon-brown and give the fern its name; these wither after the spores are shed. The fronds arise from a stout, slowly spreading rootstock of wiry roots. The fern grows in swamps, wet woods, bogs, and along streams in acidic, peaty soil and tolerates standing water, forming large colonies in suitable wet ground.
Native Range
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum is native to eastern North America, from Canada south to the Gulf of Mexico and into the West Indies and parts of South America, and to eastern Asia. It grows in swamps, bogs, wet woodland, and stream and pond margins on acidic, peaty soils.Suggested Uses
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum is grown in bog gardens, rain gardens, pond and stream margins, and damp woodland where its large clumps and cinnamon fertile fronds suit a wet, naturalistic planting. The young fiddleheads are eaten in some regions after cooking, and the rootstock fibre has been used in orchid culture.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height2' - 5'
Width/Spread2' - 3'
Bloom Information
As a fern, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum does not flower. The distinct fertile fronds release spores in spring, turning from green to bright cinnamon-brown before withering; the green spores are short-lived and germinate within days in wet ground.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight