Synonyms/Also Sold As: Alaska Fern, Icelandic Fern, Polystichum angulare

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 lacy and horizontal forms and reserve them to sell as true ‘Divisilobum,’ while many others will display slight variations in habit and fall into the category of a ‘Divisilobum type.’

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. 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 This character is not unique to the divisilobes and the term "prolifeum", once considered a section in itself, is no longer applicable as a varietal name. Our ‘Divisilobum type’ ferns still display the fine division characteristic of true Divisilobes, but may vary in texture and habit somewhat compared to the classically described ‘Divisilobum.’ Some mis-informed growers have coined the epithet "Alaska fern" and recently "Icelandic fern" for this this strictly English import, which is ironic since this fern cannot grow in the extreme cold of Alaska or Iceland!

Frond Condition: Evergreen Mature Height: 12-30 inches (1-3’) Origin: England Cultural Requirements: Partly Shaded, Full Shade, Evenly Moist, Slightly Moist USDA Zones: 6, 7, 8, 9 Notes: horizontal habit; proliferous bulbils on rachis. not suited for areas with hot humid summers.