diff --git a/modules/features2d/src/mser.cpp b/modules/features2d/src/mser.cpp
index 4f2cab1dc0..d60af8ddae 100644
--- a/modules/features2d/src/mser.cpp
+++ b/modules/features2d/src/mser.cpp
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ public:
                         return;
                 }
             }
-            if( parent_ && parent_->var >= 0.f && var >= parent_->var )
+            if( var > 0.f && parent_ && parent_->var >= 0.f && var >= parent_->var )
                 return;
             int xmin = INT_MAX, ymin = INT_MAX, xmax = INT_MIN, ymax = INT_MIN, j = 0;
             wp.msers->push_back(vector<Point>());
@@ -270,12 +270,20 @@ public:
             if( !history || (history->size != size && size > 0 &&
                 (gray_level != history->val || force)))
             {
-                CompHistory* h = hptr++;
-                h->parent_ = 0;
-                h->child_ = history;
-                h->next_ = 0;
-                if( history )
-                    history->parent_ = h;
+                CompHistory* h;
+
+                if (history && gray_level == history->val)
+                    h = history;
+                else
+                {
+                    h = hptr++;
+                    h->parent_ = 0;
+                    h->child_ = history;
+                    h->next_ = 0;
+                    if (history)
+                        history->parent_ = h;
+                }
+
                 h->val = gray_level;
                 h->size = size;
                 h->head = head;
@@ -283,7 +291,7 @@ public:
                 history = h;
                 h->var = FLT_MAX;
                 h->checked = true;
-                if( h->size >= wp.p.minArea )
+                if (h->size >= wp.p.minArea)
                 {
                     h->var = -1.f;
                     h->checked = false;
@@ -291,7 +299,7 @@ public:
                 }
             }
             gray_level = new_gray_level;
-            if( update && history )
+            if( update && history && gray_level != history->val )
                 history->updateTree(wp, 0, 0, final);
         }
 
@@ -299,14 +307,13 @@ public:
         void merge( ConnectedComp* comp1, ConnectedComp* comp2,
                     CompHistory*& hptr, WParams& wp )
         {
-            comp1->growHistory( hptr, wp, -1, false );
-            comp2->growHistory( hptr, wp, -1, false );
-
             if( comp1->size < comp2->size )
                 std::swap(comp1, comp2);
 
             if( comp2->size == 0 )
             {
+                // only grow comp1's history
+                comp1->growHistory(hptr, wp, -1, false);
                 gray_level = comp1->gray_level;
                 head = comp1->head;
                 tail = comp1->tail;
@@ -315,21 +322,35 @@ public:
                 return;
             }
 
-            CompHistory* h1 = comp1->history;
-            CompHistory* h2 = comp2->history;
+            comp1->growHistory( hptr, wp, -1, false );
+            comp2->growHistory( hptr, wp, -1, false );
+
+            if (comp1->gray_level < comp2->gray_level)
+                std::swap(comp1, comp2);
 
-            gray_level = std::max(comp1->gray_level, comp2->gray_level);
+            gray_level = comp1->gray_level;
             history = comp1->history;
             wp.pix0[comp1->tail].setNext(comp2->head);
 
             head = comp1->head;
             tail = comp2->tail;
             size = comp1->size + comp2->size;
-            bool keep_2nd = h2->size > wp.p.minArea;
-            growHistory( hptr, wp, -1, false, keep_2nd );
-            if( keep_2nd )
+
+            CompHistory *h1 = history->child_;
+            CompHistory *h2 = comp2->history;
+            if (h2->size > wp.p.minArea)
             {
-                h1->next_ = h2;
+                // the child_'s size should be the large one
+                if (h1 && h1->size > h2->size)
+                {
+                    h2->next_ = h1->next_;
+                    h1->next_ = h2;
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    history->child_ = h2;
+                    h2->next_ = h1;
+                }
                 h2->parent_ = history;
             }
         }
@@ -390,7 +411,7 @@ public:
             int step = cols;
             for( i = 1; i < rows-1; i++ )
             {
-                Pixel* pptr = &pixbuf[i*step + 1];
+                Pixel* pptr = &pixbuf[i*step];
                 for( j = 1; j < cols-1; j++ )
                 {
                     pptr[j].val = 0;
diff --git a/modules/features2d/test/test_mser.cpp b/modules/features2d/test/test_mser.cpp
index 89b8ddbade..a52c3c3b81 100644
--- a/modules/features2d/test/test_mser.cpp
+++ b/modules/features2d/test/test_mser.cpp
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ TEST(Features2d_MSER, cases)
             GaussianBlur(src, src, Size(5, 5), 1.5, 1.5);
 
         int minRegs = use_big_image ? 7 : 2;
-        int maxRegs = use_big_image ? 1000 : 15;
+        int maxRegs = use_big_image ? 1000 : 20;
         if( binarize && (thresh == 0 || thresh == 255) )
             minRegs = maxRegs = 0;
 
diff --git a/modules/python/test/test_mser.py b/modules/python/test/test_mser.py
index 619300b865..f66582ee4b 100644
--- a/modules/python/test/test_mser.py
+++ b/modules/python/test/test_mser.py
@@ -59,11 +59,11 @@ class mser_test(NewOpenCVTests):
             if blur:
                 src = cv2.GaussianBlur(src, (5, 5), 1.5, 1.5)
             minRegs = 7 if use_big_image else 2
-            maxRegs = 1000 if use_big_image else 15
+            maxRegs = 1000 if use_big_image else 20
             if binarize and (thresh == 0 or thresh == 255):
                 minRegs = maxRegs = 0
             msers, boxes = mserExtractor.detectRegions(src)
             nmsers = len(msers)
             self.assertEqual(nmsers, len(boxes))
             self.assertLessEqual(minRegs, nmsers)
-            self.assertGreaterEqual(maxRegs, nmsers)
\ No newline at end of file
+            self.assertGreaterEqual(maxRegs, nmsers)