While Rolla Tryon is the professor. Alice has not been content to play second fiddle. Aside from her pioneer work in fern-spore research, she has set precedents-initially by becoming the first woman member of New England's foremost association of botanists-the New England Botanists Club, then by becoming, in 1978, its first woman president.

In the 1960s, she was a leader in the drive to incorporate modern techniques in Harvard's biological studies, playing a key role in the University's acquisition of its first scanning electron microscope. The microscope has revolutionized several areas of study, including fern research.

"For the first time we're able really to see the stuff we're working with." Alice Tryon says.

Long before the modern surge of scientific interest in terns, these mysterious plants made their mark in the history of the Western world. For example, they were at one time considered a state-of the-art treatment for illnesses ranging from respiratory diseases to snake bites.

Historical records also show that for thousands of years people believed that, since ferns flowered but did not set visible seeds, they had supernatual powers. Even Shakespeare wrote that Oberon, King of the Fairies in A Midsummer's Night Dream, used these invisible seeds to make himself invisible and dealt harshly with those who wished to share his secret.

Eventually, a German bookseller unveiled the "seed mystery" when he discovered that the fern reproduces by means of a tiny, asexually generated spore which falls to the ground and then sprouts.

Using the electron microscope. Alice Tryon was the first scientist to discern the details of the size, shape and function of these spores. The spores, she explain, can take any number of forms, but the size and shape is crucial for survial, as some may need to travel great distances and others may need to hold water.

Despite new research by scientists like the Tryons, many of the fer's functions remain a riddle. For example, water must penetrate the spore wall for germination: and although scientists know it passes in, they are unsure of why it does not leave the spore in dry times.

Moreover, Mlicon and sporopollen in the walls of the spore must play some role in the plant's existence, but thus far no one has been able to explain what that roles is. In fact, the sporopollen is an unusually tough material scientists say, and although its chemical components are currently unknown, many feel it could be used to produce a host of durable synthetic products.

Studying ferns for many may seem like an insignificant cause Rollo Tryon disagrees: "If you want to make a meaningful contribution, you have to specailize in some small group. And that's just what we're doing".