سمیه قنبری همدانی - Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Islamic Azad University (North Tehran Branch) E-mail: sgh_۶۰_bo@yahoo.com
فریبا شریف نیا - Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Islamic Azad University (North Tehran Branch)
فیروزه چلبیان - Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Islamic Azad University (North Tehran Branch)

In this research, five species of the genus Polystichum, belonging to Dryopteridaceae, namely, P. lonchitis, P. woronowii, P. setiferum, P. braunii and P. aculeatum, were collected from Gilan and Mazandaran Provinces and studied micro-morphologically. In order to compare the spores, their morphology and their ornamentation was studied. The spores each were picked from sporangia and each sample was coated by a thin layer of gold material was photographed using a Scanning Electro Microscopy (SEM). Shape, size, exine ornamentation of spores were studied for each species. P. lonchitis was found to have considerable differences from other species by its reticulated ornamentation, which distinguishes this species from the others.

Micro-morphology, Polystichum, Fern