Overview. Fiddlehead ferns, or ostrich ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris), grow in moist and sandy soils in most of the northeastern and central United States and Canada, as well as in Europe and much of Asia.verview. Fiddlehead ferns, or ostrich ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris), grow in moist and sandy soils in most of the northeastern and central United States and Canada, as well as in Europe and much of Asia.