Pteretis struthiopteris

fiddlehead fid"dle*head` n. 1. any of several tall ferns of northern temperate regions having graceful arched fronds and sporophylls resembling ostrich plumes.

Syn: ostrich fern, shuttlecock fern, {Matteuccia struthiopteris}, {Pteretis struthiopteris}, {Onoclea struthiopteris}. [WordNet 1.5]

2. New World fern ({Osmunda cinnamonea}) having woolly cinnamon-colored spore-bearing fronds in early spring later surrounded by green fronds, called also {fiddlehead fern}; the early uncurling fronds are edible, and sometimes considered as a vegetable delicacy.

Syn: cinnamon fern, fiddlehead fern, {Osmunda cinnamonea}. [WordNet 1.5]

3. (Naut.) an ornament on a ship's bow, curved like the volute or scroll at the head of a violin. Sometimes it serves the function of a {billhead}. [1913 Webster +PJC]