The Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) belongs to the family Woodsiaceae. It is a fern that is distributed widely throughout Japan and the Northern Hemisphere. This fern grows in montane forests, along streams and clumping. It is known as "kogome" or "kogomi", it has long been used for food in the Chubu and Tohoku regions. It grows very well, with young shoots expanding to 50 to 100 cm in a few days. In Chinese, it is called "莢果蕨" (jia guo jue).