List<Map<String, String>> vs List<? extends Map<String, String>>

The difference is that, for example, a

List<HashMap<String,String>>

is a

List<? extends Map<String,String>>

but not a

List<Map<String,String>>

So:

void withWilds( List<? extends Map<String,String>> foo ){}
void noWilds( List<Map<String,String>> foo ){}

void main( String[] args ){
    List<HashMap<String,String>> myMap;

    withWilds( myMap ); // Works
    noWilds( myMap ); // Compiler error
}

You would think a List of HashMaps should be a List of Maps, but there's a good reason why it isn't:

Suppose you could do:

List<HashMap<String,String>> hashMaps = new ArrayList<HashMap<String,String>>();

List<Map<String,String>> maps = hashMaps; // Won't compile,
                                          // but imagine that it could

Map<String,String> aMap = Collections.singletonMap("foo","bar"); // Not a HashMap

maps.add( aMap ); // Perfectly legal (adding a Map to a List of Maps)

// But maps and hashMaps are the same object, so this should be the same as

hashMaps.add( aMap ); // Should be illegal (aMap is not a HashMap)

So this is why a List of HashMaps shouldn't be a List of Maps.

You cannot assign expressions with types such as List<NavigableMap<String,String>> to the first.

(If you want to know why you can't assign List<String> to List<Object> see a zillion other questions on SO.)

What I'm missing in the other answers is a reference to how this relates to co- and contravariance and sub- and supertypes (that is, polymorphism) in general and to Java in particular. This may be well understood by the OP, but just in case, here it goes:

Covariance

If you have a class Automobile, then Car and Truck are their subtypes. Any Car can be assigned to a variable of type Automobile, this is well-known in OO and is called polymorphism. Covariance refers to using this same principle in scenarios with generics or delegates. Java doesn't have delegates (yet), so the term applies only to generics.

I tend to think of covariance as standard polymorphism what you would expect to work without thinking, because:

List<Car> cars;
List<Automobile> automobiles = cars;
// You'd expect this to work because Car is-a Automobile, but
// throws inconvertible types compile error.

The reason of the error is, however, correct: List<Car> does not inherit from List<Automobile> and thus cannot be assigned to each other. Only the generic type parameters have an inherit relationship. One might think that the Java compiler simply isn't smart enough to properly understand your scenario there. However, you can help the compiler by giving him a hint:

List<Car> cars;
List<? extends Automobile> automobiles = cars;   // no error

Contravariance

The reverse of co-variance is contravariance. Where in covariance the parameter types must have a subtype relationship, in contravariance they must have a supertype relationship. This can be considered as an inheritance upper-bound: any supertype is allowed up and including the specified type:

class AutoColorComparer implements Comparator<Automobile>
    public int compare(Automobile a, Automobile b) {
        // Return comparison of colors
    }

This can be used with Collections.sort:

public static <T> void sort(List<T> list, Comparator<? super T> c)

// Which you can call like this, without errors:
List<Car> cars = getListFromSomewhere();
Collections.sort(cars, new AutoColorComparer());

You could even call it with a comparer that compares objects and use it with any type.

When to use contra or co-variance?

A bit OT perhaps, you didn't ask, but it helps understanding answering your question. In general, when you get something, use covariance and when you put something, use contravariance. This is best explained in an answer to Stack Overflow question How would contravariance be used in Java generics?.

So what is it then with List<? extends Map<String, String>>

You use extends, so the rules for covariance applies. Here you have a list of maps and each item you store in the list must be a Map<string, string> or derive from it. The statement List<Map<String, String>> cannot derive from Map, but must be a Map.

Hence, the following will work, because TreeMap inherits from Map:

List<Map<String, String>> mapList = new ArrayList<Map<String, String>>();
mapList.add(new TreeMap<String, String>());

but this will not:

List<? extends Map<String, String>> mapList = new ArrayList<? extends Map<String, String>>();
mapList.add(new TreeMap<String, String>());

and this will not work either, because it does not satisfy the covariance constraint:

List<? extends Map<String, String>> mapList = new ArrayList<? extends Map<String, String>>();
mapList.add(new ArrayList<String>());   // This is NOT allowed, List does not implement Map

What else?

This is probably obvious, but you may have already noted that using the extends keyword only applies to that parameter and not to the rest. I.e., the following will not compile:

List<? extends Map<String, String>> mapList = new List<? extends Map<String, String>>();
mapList.add(new TreeMap<String, Element>())  // This is NOT allowed

Suppose you want to allow any type in the map, with a key as string, you can use extend on each type parameter. I.e., suppose you process XML and you want to store AttrNode, Element etc in a map, you can do something like:

List<? extends Map<String, ? extends Node>> listOfMapsOfNodes = new...;

// Now you can do:
listOfMapsOfNodes.add(new TreeMap<Sting, Element>());
listOfMapsOfNodes.add(new TreeMap<Sting, CDATASection>());