AMARYLLIS BRUNSVIGIA. 



385 



The reaction with hydrochloric acid begins immedi- 

 ately. Complete gelathmation occurs in about 50 per 

 cent of the grains and total starch in half a minute, and 

 90 per cent of the grains and total starch in 1 minute; 

 in about 95 per cent of the grains and total starch in 

 2 minutes; and 99 per cent of the grains and total starch 

 in 3 minutes. The remainder of the margin of a few 

 grains and rare small grains may be still ungelatinized 

 in 5 and 15 minutes. (Chart D 6.) 



The reaction with potassium hydroxide begins im- 

 mediately and many grains are gelatinized in 15 seconds. 

 Complete gelatinization occurs in about 75 per cent of the 

 grains and 98 per cent of the total starch in 1 minute; 

 in about 90 per cent of the grains and over 99 per cent 

 of the total starch in 5 minutes, and in all in 15 minutes 

 with the exception of a resistant border in a few grains. 

 (Chart D 7.) 



The reaction with potassium iodide begins immedi- 

 ately. Complete gelatinization occurs in about 55 per 

 cent of the grains and 85 per cent of the total starch in 

 5 minutes ; in about 75 per cent of the grains and 95 per 

 cent of the total starch in 15 minutes; in about 89 per 

 cent of the grains and 98 per cent of the total starch in 

 30 minutes; in about 89 per cent of the grains and 99 

 per cent of the total starch in 45 minutes; in about 90 

 per cent of the grains and over 99 per cent of the total 

 starch in 60 minutes. (Chart D 8.) 



The hilum when unfissured swells less rapidly and a 

 bubble is less frequently present than in .-1. belladonna. 

 In many grains fissures are present which are enlarged 

 and become very refractive, the refractivity being lost 

 without the appearance of a bubble; such fissures were 

 not observed in A. belladonna. The lamellae become 

 more sharply defined, the definition often not being so 

 sharp near the hilum; the lamella? are much more dis- 

 tinct over a larger part of the grain than in A. bella- 

 donna. The fissures are deeper, more branched, and 

 more varied in character than in A. belladonna. There 

 are usually two fissures which extend distahvards, or to 

 both ends of elongated grains with centric or slightly 

 eccentric fissure; and in addition many short fissures 

 may radiate from the hilum ; these numerous radiating 

 fissures were not observed in A., belladonna. The method 

 of gelatinizatiou is much more varied than in A. bella- 

 donna. It more frequently proceeds quickly through 

 the mesial region from the hilum towards the distal mar- 

 gin, accompanied by the appearance of a mass of very 

 refractive granules, a narrow band at the distal margin 

 often becoming completely gelatinized previous to a few 

 lamella? above this band; these resistant lamella? become 

 deeply striated and disorganized into linear refractive 

 granules which may or may not become completely gela- 

 tinized. In elongated grains with centric or nearly cen- 

 tric hilum the reaction is completed more quickly at both 

 ends, a narrow band extending on either side of the 

 hilum being the most resistant starch. In other grains 

 a narrow border around the entire grain may be com- 

 pletely gelatinized, while many refractive granules in- 

 closed by the border remain ungelatinized. The resistant 

 starch varies in position, sometimes being located in a 

 narrow border at the proximal end, sometimes around the 

 entire grain, or in a small area at or near the distal mar- 

 gin, and again at either side of the hilum in long slender 



grains with a centric or nearly centric hilum. The starch 

 is disorganized much more frequently with the appear- 

 ance of refractive granules which are much more refrac- 

 tive than in A. belladonna, and the resistant starch is 

 much more varied in position. The reaction is much 

 varied in its rapidity in the different grains, much more 

 varied than in A. belladonna. The gelatinized grains are 

 slightly to considerably distorted, much more so than in 

 A. belladonna. A few to many refractive granules 

 usually remain at the end of the reaction, much more 

 frequently than in A. belladonna. 



The reaction with potassium sulphocyanate begins 

 immediately, and a few grains are gelatinized in half 

 a minute. Complete gelatinization occurs in about 36 

 per cent of the grains and 63 per cent of the total starch 

 in 5 minutes ; in about -13 per cent of the grains and 90 

 per cent of the total starch in 15 minutes; in about 61 

 per cent of the grains and 95 per cent of the total starch 

 in 30 minutes; in about 92 per cent of the grains and 

 over 99 per cent of the total starch in 45 minutes; and 

 in about 97 per cent of the grains and over 99 per cent 

 of the total starch in 60 minutes. (Chart D 9.) 



The hilum, in a few grains of similar shape to those of 

 A. belladonna, swells much more slowly and a bubble is 

 even less frequently observed. In most of the grains, 

 a fissure which is often thorn-like becomes much en- 

 larged, followed by the rapid gelatinization of the sur- 

 rounding area ; such a fissure was not observed in A. bella- 

 donna. The lamellae become more sharply defined and 

 a refractive border present in the untreated grain be- 

 comes more accentuated; the definition is sharper, the 

 variation in the refractivity of the lamella? of an individ- 

 ual grain greater, and the appearance of the refractive 

 border is more common than in A. belladonna. These 

 points are also more marked in the untreated grain than 

 in A. belladonna. Fissures appear of a similar character 

 to those described in A. belladonna, but deeper and more 

 profusely branched. In addition to the fissures above 

 named, thorn-like fissures often appear at the hilum, the 

 main divisions towards the distal margin sometimes be- 

 coming branched and plume-like, and not uncommonly a 

 few short, very deep fissures are scattered through the 

 most brilliant lamella?. The lamella? around the hilum 

 and through the mesial region for a short distance are 

 disorganized with the appearance of irregularly massed, 

 very refractive granules; the most refractive lamellae be- 

 come either deeply striated or even fissured, in the former 

 breaking into linearly arranged granules, while in the 

 latter fragments may form which appear sometimes to be 

 composed of clusters of granules and may have a serrate 

 appearance with the point directed towards the proximal 

 end. These fragments and granules are much more 

 brilliant and more commonly observed than in A. bella- 

 donna. In many grains the large, brilliant, linear gran- 

 ules or fragments appear towards the distal margin 

 and are bounded by a border of completely gelatinized 

 starch of varying widths; the granules at the proximal 

 end and sides are smaller, but linearly arranged and 

 very brilliant; these are less frequently bounded by the 

 gelatinized border than at the distal margin, although it 

 is not uncommon to find such a border; this border 

 surrounding a row of slightly refractive granules at the 



