THE RESERVE MATERIALS OF PLANTS. 79 



called leucoplast being smaller than the latter constitutes a 

 nucleus of formation, and the grain so started subsequently 

 grows and becomes differentiated into layers. He speaks 

 of the protoplasm at first as filling the younger cells and 

 being finely granular. A little later the granulations are 

 larger, having increased at the expense of the homogeneous 

 part of the protoplasm. These larger granulations when 

 stained with iodine show in their interior a reddish point, 

 which at a slightly later stage becomes a blue one. A little 

 later the granulations stain blue throughout, and are evidently 

 starch grains. They are often united into groups of two, 

 or three, or more, and are surrounded by protoplasmic 

 particles. 



Eberdt thus argues for the appearance of the leucoplast, 

 but denies its plastid nature, holding it to be a fundamental 

 substance, on its way to become starch. 



He denies that the leucoplast multiplies by division, 

 and holds that each one found is newly and separately 

 differentiated out of the protoplasm. 



Konnigsberger (30) advances again a different view to 

 the last two writers, and enables us partly to reconcile the 

 differences which their views present from those of Schimper 

 and the other writers of his school. According to him 

 some plants contain leucoplasts and others do not. His 

 work extends over thirty species — eighteen monocotyle- 

 dons and twelve dicotyledons. He finds leucoplasts in 

 twelve monocotyledons and four dicotyledons, the other 

 species examined being without them. He differs from 

 Eberdt with regard to the so-called fundamental sub- 

 stance, which Eberdt thought to be such on account of the 

 red stain with iodine which preceded the appearance of 

 the blue. He explains the difference of tint as being an 

 illusion due to the small size of the staining body, and 

 holds that we have a leucoplast in which starch originates. 

 Unlike Schimper, he finds excentrically striated grains 

 deeply seated in chloroplasts, in the tissues of Pelargonium 

 and of Canna indica, and thinks that excentricity of striation 

 is not due to lateral deposition. The lateral deposition 

 hypothesis he finds contradicted by the fact that in some 



