Cell walls from higher plants areprimarilycomposed of polysaccharides (i. e., cellulose, hemi — celluloses, and pectins), lignins, glycoproteins, and small amounts of minerals and other polymers. These polysaccharides exist in various forms as crystalline and sub-crystalline celluloses, non-crystalline hemicelluloses, and pectins. The hemicelluloses are closely asso­ciated with the surface of the rigid cellulose elementary fibril, forming a microfibril network (1). Pectins are cross-linked polysaccharides that “glue” the cell wall components together. Upon synthesis, these polymers form nanometer scale composites (i. e., microfibrils and ma­trices) as a result of temporally and spatially controlled processes which occur during plant growth and development. It is still unknown how these polymeric constituents self-assemble to form the rigid and dynamic entity embodied in the cell wall. In our current understanding

of primary cell wall structures, these associated and/or cross-linked polysaccharides form a “polymer liquid crystal” system (2).