Note the overall appearance and major structural features of each specimen. Compare any similarities and contrast any differences in your specimens, and record your observations in your lab notebook.

Using the Internet or printed reference material, attempt to identify each of the specimens to at least the genus level. (The presence or absence of sori, along with their positions, colors, shapes, sizes, and so on are important clues to identifying fern species.)

For each of your specimens, examine and identify any structures visible at low magnification, including gametophyte structures (rhizoids, stems, and leaves) and sporophyte structures (seta and calyptra). Note the differences between mature male and female gametophytes. If you have a camera compatible with your microscopes, record images of the various structures.