Osmunda cinnamomea - Cinnamon Fern

Osmunda cinnamomea, commonly called cinnamon fern, is a native fern which occurs in moist, boggy ground along streams and on shaded ledges and bluffs. Typically grows in clumps to 2-3' tall, but with constant moisture can reach 5' in height. Separate spore-bearing, stiff, fertile fronds appear in early spring, quickly turning brown. The familiar "fiddleheads" also emerge from the base of the plant and unfurl into large, erect, pinnately-compound, yellowish-green, sterile fronds which remain attractive throughout the summer and turn yellow in autumn.