Deparia acrostichoides is native to eastern Canada and the eastern United States, where it grows in the cool, moist interiors of forests — under dense canopy, beside streams, in the kind of shade that few plants welcome. The fronds are broad and arching, reaching over three feet at maturity, and the clumps spread slowly via short creeping rhizomes into generous masses one and a half to three and a half feet wide. In late summer the sori mature on the undersides of the pinnae in a distinctly herringbone arrangement, silvery at first (which accounts for the common name) and turning brown as they ripen. Fronds go straw-colored in fall and die back over winter.

This fern asks for constant moisture above all else: good loamy soil that holds water but drains well, and a site that stays reliably damp. In those conditions it is adaptable, tolerating some sun and spreading steadily without becoming aggressive. It suits naturalized woodland gardens and shaded borders where larger-scale texture is needed, and its deer resistance makes it a practical choice in areas where browsing pressure is a problem.