What kind of live plant should I put in my tank? (With a Betta fish)?

I am slowly setting up a 2.5 gallon tank which will eventually probably have a Betta in it. I know I want to plant something in it, but I'm not sure what right now. The tank is going to have a desert/Egyptian theme, so in my mind I'm imagining some kind of fern or a leafy plant like an Amazon sword. The plant should be low maintenance. I don't mind adding some special substrate under the gravel or something, but it shouldn't be a full-time job.