Morphology and peculiar features of spores of fern species occurring in Poland

The morphology of fern spores collected from natural sites in Poland was examined under light microscopy. Spore samples represented 44 species in 18 genera and in 13 families. Only spores of Ophioglossaceae were obtained from the herbarium of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań while the remaining samples were obtained from living plants. Spore size ranges between 20 to 75 μm and the spores of Osmunda regalis and Polypodium interjectum were found to have remarkably large dimensions. The spores are ellipsoidal, tetrahedral and spherical/globoid in shape. Their apertures are monolete or trilete types. The exine surface patterns are baculate, cristate, granulate, reticulate, tuberculate and verrucate. Pictures of the analyzed spores are collected in a contrasting (size, colour) table to make it easier to distinguish between species. The peculiar characters of fern spores are described after a review of major articles concerning the allergenic features of fern spores with special attention to Pteridium aquilinum whose spores and vegetative tissues revealed mutagenic and carcinogenic activity.