The family of palms (Palmae or Arecaceae) is of major economic importance, both on a large industrial scale and in peasant agriculture. The palms offer a unique challenge to botanists because of their frequently gigantic size and unusual mechanical properties; they are of interest to evolutionists who wish to know how such an unusual plant form could have evolved and to ecologists who wish to learn about the distinct adaptive features of palms. In this book each organ of the plant and each successive phase in its life-cycle is examined, beginning with seed germination and gradually moving through the vegetative cycle to the production of inflorescence, flower, fruit, and seed, giving a general picture of how the palm 'works'. The information is presented in systematic form. Much of the recent extensive literature on palm biology is summarized and the relationship of the palms to other flowering plants is discussed. This book will be of value both to academic botanists and agronomists.