This old Victorian cultivar has been sold under many different names in the commercial trade, including "Alaska Fern," and "Icelandic Fern".  These names are a little misleading as this fern is strictly from the U.K. and has no affinity for extremely cold climes like Alaska!

Elegant supple fronds display a lacy pattern of intricate precision. The slender pinnules are divided into minute spine-tipped lobes from which character this fern takes its varietal name. Many of the finest divisilobes have a reclining habit where the fronds not only lie on a horizontal plane to the ground but they may also curve in a starfish like fashion. They can be most attractive ground cover when planted a foot or so apart. We painsakingly sort our ferns and separate out the best, most divided and most horizontally splayed specimens to sell as ture ‘Divisilobum’.

Some supposedly named forms available commercially are spore grown and will yield some good divisilobes but more often they revert to normal upright species variations. These will be sold as ‘Divisilobum type,’ since the divisilobe section covers various degrees of quality and can combine with other characters to yield further elaboration. The frond mid-ribs produce bulbils at their lower part and these can be induced to form young plants, affording a ready means of increase. This character is not unique to the divisilobes and the term "prolifeum", once considered a section in itself, is no longer applicable as a varietal name.

Frond Condition:  Evergreen
Mature Height:  12-30" (1 - 2 1/2')
Origin:  England
Cultural Requirements:  Partly Shaded, Full Shade, Evenly Moist, Slightly Moist
USDA Zones:  6, 7, 8, 9