Gmelin first named this plant Osmunda multifida in 1768 and Ruprecht gave the present name in 1859.  The plant is rare in Colorado but is found in most western and north-eastern states.  It grows from one to seven inches tall and has a very dense and leathery feeling to its trophophore, the sterile portion of the plant.  

"Multifidum", Latin, is for the multiple pinnae and branched structures of the plant.