noun
A common fern species (Matteuccia struthiopteris) whose young fiddleheads are eaten as a wild vegetable in Japan.
春になると、クサソテツの若芽を摘みに行く。
In spring, we go to pick young ostrich fern shoots.
クサソテツは山菜として人気がある。
Ostrich fern is popular as a wild edible plant.
The name クサソテツ literally means 'grass cycad', referring to the fern's resemblance to the cycad plant (ソテツ). The exact historical derivation is uncertain.