468 Morphologie, Befruchtung, etc. — Physiologie. 



cuticularised walls; where the ground tissue is denser the cuticula- 

 risation disappears. Just above the cotyledon sheath the bundles are 

 reduced to eight in number and form a Single ring. The cotyledon 

 sheath contains nine bundles of which seven are placed on one side. 

 The two leaves within the sheath of the cotyledon contains numerous 

 bundles, the inner uf the typical form while the outer show all stages 

 of reduction, those placed more peripherally consisting of fibres only. 

 The parenchymatous tissue is very dense and no endodermis is 

 present. Lower down the cotyledon sheath becomes merged in the 

 common mass; its bundles pass inwards and lie amongst the common 

 group of plumular traces. At a lower level, the bundles, after numerous 

 fusions amongst themselves, become arranged in a ring. The phloem 

 loses all connection with the xylem and is found in groups placed 

 externally to the latter. The xylem groups then form V shaped 

 masses, the endarch protoxylem disappearing and being replaced by 

 exarch groups; the whole is surrounded bj»- a continuous phloem 

 ring. Finally the phloem ring breaks up into twice as many Strands 

 as there are xylem groups, each V of xylem becomes discontinuous 

 centrall}?^ and the resulting root contains alternating phloem and 

 xylem masses. Oreodoxn regia j Pritchardia sp., and Coleospadix sp. 

 show a similar transition. 



The author points out that both in Phoenix and Liinstona a 

 cuticularised endodermal sheath is only found where the ground 

 tissue is rieh in air Spaces and that this sheath is frequently incom- 

 plete, being wanting on the xylem face. In many water plants where 

 aerenchyma is present there is a well developed endodermis. In 

 ectophloic siphonosteles an internal endodermis is rare, whereas in 

 amphiphloic siphonosteles it is usually present. He suggests that the 

 endodermis forms an air tight layer which may find its function 

 rather as a phloem sheath than as a xylem sheath. 



M. Wilson (Glasgow.) 



Alvarez, E. P., Colour Reactions of certain organic 

 Compounds. ( Sixth Internationa] Congress of applied Chemistry , 

 Rome 1906. Reprinted in Pharm. Journ. Jan. 5th 1907.) 



From 0.5 to 1.0 gramme of the Compound undergoing examination 

 is placed in a little porcelain capsule with 20 to 30 grammes of 

 sodium dioxide and 5 Ml. alcohol. They are allowed to stand from 

 four to six minutes, and then 15 Mls. of distilled water are added. 

 The colourations produced are the following: 



Emodiu. Pink, becoming yellow with acetic acid. Chry sarahin. 

 Wine colour, persisting on addition of water, yellow on addition of 

 acetic acid. Chrysophanic acid. Cherry red colour, becoming brighter 

 with water. Antlirogallol. Dark blue colour, almostblack, unchanging. 

 Ellagic acid. Brown black, becoming yellow with water. Dioxy- 

 quinone. Brown yellow, becoming red with water. Rosolic acid. 

 Intense purple, persisting with water. Dioxyanthraquinone , 1-2. Violet 

 blue persisting with water, yellow Avith acid. Trioxyanthraquinone, 

 1-2-4. Intense red violet, changing to cherry red with water, 



E. Drabble (Liverpool.) 



Barger, G. and F. H. Carr. Note on Ergot Alkaloids. (Pharm. 



Journ. Sept. l^t 1906.) 



The authors suggest the formula Cg^HsgO^N^ for ergotinine 



