The first of five volumes covering monocots in North America, north of Mexico. The volume comprises of many groups of aquatic plants and the North American relatives of groups that have their greatest number of species located in the New World tropics. These include: the rush family (Juncaceae); cat-tails (Typhaceae); spiderworts (Commelinaceae); aroids (Araceae), and pondweeds (Potamogetonaceae).
Acknowledgments; Taxonomic Reviewers; Regional Reviewers; Contributors; Introduction; Butomaceae - Haemadoraceae; Butomales (Flowering-rush order); Hydrocharitales (Canadian-waterweed order); Najadales (Arrow-grass order); Arecales (Palm order); Arales (Aroid order); Commelinales (in part) (Spiderwort order); Eriocaulales (Eriocaul order); Juncales (Rush order); Typhales (Cat-tail order); Bromeliales (Bromelia order); Zingiberales (Ginger order); Literature cited; Index