This work contains 50 original scientific papers presented by leading scientists at the Third International Conference on the Comparative Biology of the Monocotyledons, hosted by Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, California in 2003. Original peer-reviewed papers on a wide range of monocot groups are presented, covering phylogeny, biogeography, paleobotany, morphology, anatomy, development, molecular biology, and reproductive biology.