Question: These ferns are growing around a home/garden in Lovell and have spread out of control, hard to manage. Acting like …
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Question
These ferns are growing around a home/garden in Lovell and have spread out of control, hard to manage. Acting like Dennstaedtia punctilobula, but it's something else. Is it native? Thoughts on control?
Answer
Dear Skytes, you have photographed Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern), a native species that inhabits rich soils of river floodplains and rocky slopes. It is very normal for it to grow in colonies that extend outward by rhizome growth. It is a choice edible species that you could harvest for spring shoots, if you would like. Best wishes.
