An antheridiogen of Anemia mexicana Klotzsch has been partially characterized by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-Fourier transform/infra-red spectrometry. It is a C19-gibberellin(GA)-like compound with one carboxyl group, an exocyclic methylene group and a lactone ring. It also has one hydroxyl-group and one double-bond equivalent which has not been determined. On the basis of its mass spectrum, it is not identical to previously identified monohydroxy GAs with one ring double bond such as GA5, GA7, GA31 and GA62. By direct comparison of mass spectra, the antheridiogen of A. mexicana was also determined to be different from the antheridiogens of Anemia phyllitidis (L.) Swartz, Anemia hirsuta (L.) Swartz and Lygodium japonicum (Thunb.) Sw.