fiddlehead

(noun) tall fern of northern temperate regions having graceful arched fronds and sporophylls resembling ostrich plumes. Synonyms: ostrich fern, shuttlecock fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris, Pteretis struthiopteris, Onoclea struthiopteris.

(noun) New World fern having woolly cinnamon-colored spore-bearing fronds in early spring later surrounded by green fronds; the early uncurling fronds are edible. Synonyms: cinnamon fern, fiddlehead fern, Osmunda cinnamonea.