Abstract:The epidermal morphology of 24 species of Dryopteridaceae was observed under light microscope. The results indicated that: (1) the shapes of upper epidermal cells of 24 species are strip or irregular, with sinuate or sinuolate anticlinal walls. The shapes of lower epidermal cells of 24 species are irregular, with sinuate anticlinal walls. The length to width radio of the upper epidermal cells is between 1.5-5.7, and the length and width radio of the lower epidermal cells is between 2.2-3.9. (2) Among these 24 species, 8 types of stomatal apparatus are observed, including aisocytictype, anomotetracytictype, polocytictype, axillocytictype, diacytictype, dnomocytictype, coaxillocytictype and copolocytictype. Each species has two to eight types of stomatal apparatus, all the stomatal apparatuses occur in the lower epidermis, and most of them are elliptical. Stomatal length to width ratio is between 1.2-1.8; the stomatal density is 17.4-86.0/mm2, and the stomatal index is 8.60%-37.4%. (3)The shapes of the epidermal cells, the shapes of the anticlinal walls, the ratio of the length to width of the upper epidermal cells, the type of stomatal apparatus, the main types and the derived types can be served as the evidences for morphological classification of leaf epidermis. (4) On the basis of the leaf epidermis morphology, 24 species of Dryopteridaceae can be divided into two categories, Polystichum, Dryopteris. According to the results of leaf epidermal morphology, the classification system of Ching RenChang was supported to a certain extent. This study provided basic data for the evolution and classification of the species of Dryopteridaceae.