Life Span
Perennial
  
Perennial
  
Type
Fern
  
Shrub
  
Origin
North America, Europe, Eastern Asia
  
Europe, Morocco, Western Asia
  
Types
M. struthiopteris var. struthiopteris
M. struthiopteris var. pensylvanica
  
Not Available
  
Number of Varieties
Not Available
  
Habitat
Forest margins, Roadsides, Terrestrial
  
Boggy areas, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Mountain Slopes, Temperate Regions
  
USDA Hardiness Zone
2-8
  
5-8
  
AHS Heat Zone
8-1
  
8-5
  
Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
  
A1, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17
  
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
  
Clump-Forming
  
Plant Size
  
  
Plant Color
  
  
Flower Color
Not Available
  
White, Red, Pink
  
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
  
Not Available
  
Fruit Color
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
  
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
  
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
  
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
  
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
  
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
  
Leaf Color in Winter
Not Available
  
Gray Green, Dark Green
  
Shape
  
  
Leaf Shape
Lance shaped
  
Needle like
  
Thorns
No
  
No
  
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
  
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
  
Growing Conditions
  
  
Sunlight
Partial Sun
  
Full Sun
  
Growth Rate
Fast
  
Medium
  
Type of Soil
Loam
  
Loam, Sand
  
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
  
Acidic
  
Soil Drainage
Average
  
Well drained
  
Bloom Time
All year
  
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
  
Repeat Bloomer
No
  
No
  
Tolerances
Wet Site
  
Not Available
  
Where to Plant?
Ground
  
Ground, Pot
  
How to Plant?
Divison, Spores
  
Divison, Seedlings, Stem Cutting
  
Plant Maintenance
Medium
  
Low
  
Watering Plants
  
  
Watering Requirements
Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry
  
Average Water Needs
  
In Summer
Lots of watering
  
Lots of watering
  
In Spring
Moderate
  
Moderate
  
In Winter
Average Water
  
Average Water
  
Soil
  
  
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
  
Acidic
  
Soil Type
Loam
  
Loam, Sand
  
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
  
Well drained
  
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun
  
Full Sun
  
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
  
Prune in early summer, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
  
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
  
Ammonium Nitrate
  
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
  
Armillaria mellea, Chlorosis, Crown rot, Powdery mildew, Root rot, Rust, Verticillium Wilt
  
Plant Tolerance
Drought
  
Drought, Dry soil, Shade areas, Wet Site
  
Flowers
None
  
Showy
  
Flower Petal Number
Single
  
Single, Double, Semi-Double
  
Fruits
  
  
Showy Fruit
No
  
No
  
Edible Fruit
No
  
No
  
Fragrance
  
  
Fragrant Flower
No
  
Yes
  
Fragrant Fruit
No
  
No
  
Fragrant Leaf
No
  
No
  
Fragrant Bark/Stem
No
  
No
  
Showy Foliage
Yes
  
No
  
Showy Bark
No
  
No
  
Foliage Texture
Bold
  
Fine
  
Foliage Sheen
Matte
  
Matte
  
Evergreen
No
  
No
  
Invasive
Sometimes
  
No
  
Self-Sowing
Yes
  
Yes
  
Attracts
Hummingbirds
  
Bees, Butterflies, Moths
  
Allergy
Skin irritation
  
Not Available
  
Uses
  
  
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
  
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
  
Beauty Benefits
Not Available
  
Skin inflammation
  
Edible Uses
Unknown
  
Yes
  
Environmental Uses
Air purification
  
Food for animals, Food for insects
  
Plant Benefits
  
  
Medicinal Uses
Bone strength
  
Arthritis, Bladder Infection, Colic, Diarrhea, Gout, Inflammation, Kidney Stones, Rheumatism, Stomach pain, Urinary tract problems
  
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
  
Flowers
  
Other Uses
Showy Purposes
  
Can be made into a herbal tea, Food for animals, Used for its medicinal properties
  
Used As Indoor Plant
No
  
Yes
  
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
  
Yes
  
Garden Design
Bog Garden, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Wildflower
  
Container, Cutflower, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
  
Botanical Name
MATTEUCCIA struthiopteris
  
CALLUNA vulgaris
  
Common Name
Fiddlehead ferns,
shuttlecock fern
  
Heather, Common heather, Ling
  
In Hindi
शुतुरमुर्ग फर्न
  
हीथ
  
In German
Ostrich Fern
  
Heidekraut
  
In French
fougère à l'autruche
  
bruyère
  
In Spanish
avestruz helecho
  
brezo
  
In Greek
Στρουθοκάμηλος Fern
  
ερείκη
  
In Portuguese
Ostrich Fern
  
urze
  
In Polish
Struś Fern
  
wrzos
  
In Latin
struthionem Fern
  
Heather
  
Kingdom
Plantae
  
Plantae
  
Phylum
Filicinophyta
  
Magnoliophyta
  
Class
Polypodiopsida
  
Magnoliopsida
  
Order
Polypodiales
  
Ericales
  
Family
Dryopteridaceae
  
Ericaceae
  
Genus
Matteuccia
  
Calluna
  
Clade
Not Available
  
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
  
Tribe
Not Available
  
Ericeae
  
Subfamily
Not Available
  
Ericoideae
  
Number of Species
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Importance of Ostrich Fern and Heather
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Ostrich Fern and Heather. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Ostrich Fern and Heather as they differ in many characteristics such as their life, care, benefits, facts, etc. Every gardener must at least have the slightest clue about the plants he wants to plant in his garden. Compare their benefits, which differ in many ways like facts and uses. The medicinal use of Ostrich Fern is Bone strength whereas of Heather is Arthritis, Bladder Infection, Colic, Diarrhea, Gout, Inflammation, Kidney Stones, Rheumatism, Stomach pain and Urinary tract problems. Ostrich Fern has beauty benefits as follows: Not Available while Heather has beauty benefits as follows: Not Available.
Compare Facts of Ostrich Fern vs Heather
How to choose the best garden plant for your garden depending upon its facts? Here garden plant comparison will help you to solve this query. Compare the facts of Ostrich Fern vs Heather and know which one to choose. As garden plants have benefits and other uses, allergy is also a major drawback of plants for some people. Allergic reactions of Ostrich Fern are Skin irritation whereas of Heather have Not Available respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Ostrich Fern has no showy fruits and Heather has no showy fruits. Also Ostrich Fern is not flowering and Heather is not flowering . You can compare Ostrich Fern and Heather facts and facts of other plants too.