Abstract: All stages of gametophytes development of 10 species belonging to genera in Athyriaceae (Ching 1964. 1982) from Northeastern China were cultured and comparatively studied. It may supply the evidence with gametopyte development for systematic taxonomy based on the sporophyte.The prothalli are naked in Athyrium, Pseudocystopteris and Ailantodia. The filaments are 3-5 cells long. It appears that there are no distintive differences among their development of gametophytes.The hairs occur when the anterior part of prothallial plate are 5-6 cells broad stage in Lunathyrium and Dryoathyrium, and the hairs are all long club-shaped. But the former is longer and the original hairs paralled to longitudinal axis of the prothallus, the latter is shorter and the original hairs slightly slope down to the apical notched.In Gyrnnocarpium the hairs occur when the anterior part of the prothallial plate are about 8 cells broad stage, slender club-shaped, distributed regularly. And in cystopteris the hairs occur when 10-12 cells broad stage or even more later, short club-shaped, distributed sparsely.Palea-like hairs often occur on the prothallus in Neaothyrium. Its cell size of fallment are larger than any genus in this family. The antheridium is rather wide at its base and shaped in broad trigular globose which differ with other genera.As mention above 5 of the genera possess significant individual features in galnetopyte development, but the 3 other genera are devoid of generic characteristic respectively. Pseudocystopteris and Allantodia are similar to Athyrium in it.

Key words: Garnetophytes development, Athyriaceae, Northeatem China