I N VITRO PROPAGATION IN PTERIDOPHYTES : A REVIEW

Pteridophytes, by virtue of possessing great variety and fascinating foliage, have drawn the attention and admiration of horticulturists and plant lovers for centuries. Characterized by an alternation of generations between a well developed sporophyte producing spores and an independent gametophyte producing gametes, the Pteridophyta include over 12,000 species, many of which are ornamental species, medicinal species, species of an ethnobotanical importance with a role in habitat conservation etc. Medicinal value of pteridophytes is known to man for more than 2000 years. The rare and economically important pteridophyte species should be treated as our natural heritage and properly conserved. In vitro propagation is the alternative method for propagation and conserving these species.