The Stylish Japanese Painted Fern

The Japanese painted fern is a very unique looking fern that seems to enjoy the shade more than some of its cousins in the fern family. But, just because it likes the shade does not mean that it likes to hide in the shadows. The Japanese painted fern also enjoys human companionship, particularly, human companionship that doesn’t mind feeding it, watering it, and saving it from the average hungry wild vegetarian animal.

This green fern has very artistic white streaks that cross its green leaves. If one didn’t know the Japanese painted fern was a plant that grew out in nature, one would think of it as a constructed work of art. It really does have that unique a look. Needless to say, this very beautiful fern is quite popular with human fern collectors.

As the name would lead you to believe, the Japanese painted fern is indigenous to Japan and surrounding Asian countries. In a way, the white streaks across the solid green backdrop of the fern leaves are almost evocative of Kabuki theater with the streaks almost taking on a life of their own and giving the Japanese painted fern a personality that is unique to each plant individually.

In a way, that is what art does: It creates the miraculous out of the ordinary. And, in this case, the art is a natural formation from the plant as opposed as being derived from an artificial construct. Heavy stuff.

Now, if the deeper meaning of the natural meaning derived from the universality of the Japanese painted fern is not your thing, that is okay. You can get by just accepting the fern for being really cool to look at. As such, it can be a great addition to one’s home, apartment or business. It can add that missing spark to truly enliven any room that the fern occupies. Or rather, co-occupies with its human roommates.