BOT.— Vol. 1.] CAMPBELL— NAIAS AND ZANNLCHELLLA. -5 



but little Utilized by the systematic botanists. While these 

 cannot be expected to be the principal tools of the sys- 

 tematist, they should prove invaluable aids in his work. 

 The improvement in technical methods also makes neces- 

 sary a revision of much of the older histological work, 

 which is often either inaccurate in detail or incomplete. 

 Many of these older contributions, of course, are of the 

 greatest importance, but all the more is it necessary to cor- 

 rect any inaccuracies which they may contain. Naturally, 

 with the improvement in technique there has been an in- 

 creasing number of accurate histological studies of the flow- 

 ering plants, especiall}^ investigations bearing upon the 

 development of the reproductive parts. It is these which 

 must serve as the starting point for the accumulation of data 

 for the final classification of the higher plants. It is true 

 that the structure of the flower and fruit of the Angiosperms 

 is of the greatest importance in their classification; but these 

 alone are not sufficient for settHng positively questions of 

 affinity, except between nearly related groups. An accurate 

 knowledge of the development and histology of the repro- 

 ductive parts and embryo is also very important in this 

 connection. Not until very much more is known than at 

 present about the life-history of representatives of all the 

 principal types of flowering plants, shall we be in a position 

 to begin to build up a system of classification which we can 

 hope to be even approximately accurate. 



Among the interesting problems awaiting solution is the 

 character of certain simple Monocotyledons. Indeed, the 

 whole question of the relation of this group to the other 

 flowering plants is one about which there is much disagree- 

 ment. With the hope of perhaps being able to throw some 

 light on this question, and at the same time to call attention 

 to these problems, and perhaps interest other botanists in 

 the same or similar work, the writer decided to begin a 

 series of investigations upon the structure and development 

 of some of the simpler Monocotyledons. The present paper 

 is the first of a series which he hopes to publish from time 

 to time, as the materials become available. While no very 



