fiddlehead meaning and definition

FIDDLEHEAD noun

Definition of fiddlehead (noun)

1. tall fern of northern temperate regions having graceful arched fronds and sporophylls resembling ostrich plumes
   • synonyms: Matteuccia struthiopteris, Onoclea struthiopteris, ostrich fern, Pteretis struthiopteris, shuttlecock fern
2. 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