ABSTRACTS 



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CHEMISTRY. — Chemistry and histology of the glands of the cotton plant, 

 with notes on the occurrence of similar glands in related plants. E. E. 

 Stanford and Arno Viehoever. Joiirn. Agr. Res. 13: 419^36, 

 pi. 42-50. May 20, 1918. 



The compounds previously isolated were suspected to occur in glands 

 which are found plentifully in various parts of the cotton plant. 

 The origin, distribution, structure, and chemistry of these glands were 

 therefore studied, and are discussed in detail. They are of lysigenous 

 formation and more or less internally located in the primary and sec- 

 ondary cortices, foliage, flower, fruit, and seed of Gossypium hirsutum 

 and Gossypium barbadense. In the parts of the plant exposed to light 

 these glands contain quercetin, probably wholly or partly in the form of 

 its glucosides, quercimeritrin and isoquercetin. Under these conditions 

 the gland is surrounded by an anthocyan-bearing envelope of flattened 

 cells. The chief content of glands not exposed to light is gossypol; no 

 anthocyan is found in the flattened cells surrounding such glands. 

 Gossypol is found in the glands of the developing corolla; on their ex- 

 posure to light it is replaced by quercimeritrin. In the developing 

 seedling, the gossypol of the seed is changed without the formation of 

 quercimeritrin. 



Internal glands of this type appear to be universally present within 

 the genus Gossypium, and occur also in some members of the related gen- 

 era, Thespesia, Cienfuegosia, Erioxylon, and Ingenhouzia {Thurberia). 

 The only representative of the latter species, 7. triloba, commonly 

 known as ''Arizona wild cotton," possesses very conspicuous glands 

 which are arranged like those of Gossypium. 



Gossijpium hirsutum also possesses four sets of nectar glands which 

 are of an entirely different type, both morphologically and physio- 

 logically. These glands are briefly described. E. E. S. 



688 



