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The present study describes the anatomy of Anemia villosa, Anemia organensis, and a hybrid of the two species (Anemia villosa x Anemia organensis). The aim of the present study was to answer the following question: can the Anemia villosa x Anemia organensis hybrid be distinguished from the parent plants based on its anatomical traits? The results showed that the two species and hybrid can be easily differentiated by their anatomical characteristics and that the hybrid anatomy shares features with both parents. In addition, the hybrid differed from the parents in two variables: leaf thickness and number of trichome cells.

Leaf samples of Anemia villosa (Anemiaceae) were collected in four distinct places in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Two coastal land populations are located in Itacoatiara and Imbuhy rocky outcrops, municipality of Niteroi, and two populations in the inland mountain region of the state, Pedra Dubois, municipality of Santa Maria Madalena, and in Lumiar, municipality of Nova Friburgo. Five leaves of each one of five randomly chosen individuals were collected in each site. The four populations analyzed were very similar in anatomic qualitative characteristics. ANOVA results for the quantitative variables showed significant differences between all populations. The PCA separated the populations analyzed in two groups: one formed by the coastal land and other formed by the inland mountain.