The spore morphology of 8 species in the genus Cystopteris Bernh.was investigated and compared under light microscope and scanning electron microscope.The results showed that:(1)The spores of Cystopteris are all monolete,bilaterally symmetric,ellipsoidal in polar view,kidney-shaped in equatorial view.But spores of different species have differences in spore size,ornamentation length and structure.(2)According to the surface ornamentation of the perine,the spores in Cystopteris can be divided into three types.Type Ⅰ is characterized by having echinate processes (or mostly echinate processes) on the perine:Cystopteris fragilis,C.kansuana,C.pellucida,C.tibetica,C.sudetica,C.moupinensis;type Ⅱ is characterized by having tuberculate processes on the perine:C.montana;type Ⅲ is characterized by having granulate processes on the perine:C.dickieana.The Classification supports C.montana as an independent group.Having granulate processes on the perine is an obvious feature for distinguish C.dickieana.