Abstract In angiosperm ovules and anthers, the hypodermal cell layer provides the progenitors of meiocytes. We have previously reported that the multiple archesporial cells1 (mac1) mutation identifies a gene that plays an important role in the switch of the hypodermal cells from the vegetative pathway to the meiotic (sporogenous) pathway in maize ovules. Here we report that the mac1 mutation alters the developmental fate of the hypodermal cells of the maize anther. In a normal anther a hypodermal cell divides periclinally with the inner cell giving rise to the sporogenous archesporial cells while the outer cell, together with adjacent cells, forms the primary parietal layer. The cells of the parietal layer then undergo two cycles of periclinal divisions to give rise to three wall layers. In mac1 anthers the primary parietal layer usually fails to divide periclinally so that the three wall layers do not form, while the archesporial cells divide excessively and most fail to form microsporocytes. The centrally located mutant microsporocytes are abnormal in appearance and in callose distribution and they fail to proceed through meiosis. These failures in development and function appear to reflect the failure of mac1 gene function in the hypodermal cells and their cellular progeny.