Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum, aka Adiantum aleuticum)

The plant: Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum, aka Adiantum aleuticum)

Why it's choice: Maidenhair fern looks cool — cool like waterfall chutes and deep, dark woods. Its airy fronds will refresh a dull shady corner under the eaves or fill in a patio planting. With shiny black stems that contrast beautifully with the green of its leaves, maidenhair fern looks more delicate than it is.

What it can do in the garden: Superb for a shady or damp site, maidenhair fern will green up a bed on the north side of a house or fence. Plant it where you can to contemplate its cool on a hot afternoon. This fern will help show off more colorful shade lovers, like impatiens or begonias.

Where to see it: Watch for maidenhair fern along forested stream banks, waterfalls and near seeps from sea level to midelevations in the mountains. See it on rocky seeps as you gasp for breath on the Rattlesnake Ridge trail near North Bend, or look for it in the waterfall spray at Twin Falls State Park.

The facts: Maidenhair fern has palm-shaped fronds with three to eight fingers each. The fronds stand 1 to 2 feet tall on dark, wiry stems and will die back each year. New leaves will unfurl each April. While maidenhair fern loves a foresty, humus-rich soil, it will also grow in heavier soils. After thorough watering for a couple of years, it will thrive in a shady spot with little summer water.

And, hey, where else can you see it? If it's too hot to hike or garden, look for maidenhair fern in the basket collections of a local museum. Many Native American basket-makers used the fern's shiny black stems to decorate their work. Check out the baskets on display or online at the Burke Museum of Natural History, and see if you can find it.

You can find out more information about native plants, including where to buy them, from the Washington Native Plant Society, www.wnps.org.

Sarah Gage is a writer and botanist who gardens in Seattle. sgage@seanet.com. She is affiliated with the Washington Native Plant Society.