[4] The species epithet struthiopteris comes from Ancient Greek words στρουθίων (strouthíōn) "ostrich" and πτερίς (pterís) "fern".

[6] The fertile fronds are shorter, 40–65 cm (16–26 in) long, brown when ripe,[5] with highly modified and constricted leaf tissue curled over the sporangia; they develop in autumn, persist erect over the winter and release the spores in early spring.

[11][12] While choosing a place of planting it should be taken into account that this fern is very expansive and its leaves often lose their beauty throughout the summer, especially if not protected from wind and hail.

[citation needed] The tightly wound immature fronds, called fiddleheads, are also used as a cooked vegetable,[13] and are considered a delicacy mainly in rural areas of northeastern North America.

Additionally, in Norway, fiddleheads were apparently used in the manufacture of beer, and in Russia, in the control of gut parasites.