Osmunda cinnamomea

RHS Plant Profile

cinnamon fern

RHS

Other common names

buckhorn, fiddleheads

Ferns

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A deciduous fern forming rosettes of erect, light blue-green, lance-shaped, bipinnate sterile fronds surrounding shorter, cinnamon-brown fertile fronds

Position

Partial shade

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1-1.5 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 0.5-1 metres
Max Height: 1-1.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained or Poorly–drained
pH: Acid

Position

Partial shade

Aspect: North–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure: Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H6

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Osmundaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Osmunda are medium-sized to large deciduous ferns, usually from wet places, with erect or arching, pinnate or bipinnate fronds, bearing spores either on modified pinnae or on separate, smaller fronds
Name Status: Correct
Plant Range: Trop. America & SE Asia

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in moist, fertile, humus-rich slightly acidic soil in light dappled shade. See how to grow ferns for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by sowing spores at 15-16°C (59-61°F). These need to be sown with in three days of ripening as they loose their viability very quickly. Alternatively, divide well established colonies into clumps in either autumn or early spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
City and courtyard gardens
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free