Floristik etc. — Pflanzenchemie. • 541 



600 km von den Lule-Lokalitäten. Die nordische Pflanze scheint 

 zur var. lappo)iica zu gehören; diese würde dann von der alpinen, 

 in Europa und im Kaukasus wachsenden Hauptform ökologisch 

 sehr verschieden sein. Grevillius (Kempen a. Rh.). 



Annett, H. E., The urease content of certain Indian seeds. 

 (Biochem. Journ. VIII. p. 449—452. Oct. 1914.) 



In this paper the results of testing a number of Indian seeds 

 with respect to their urease activity are recorded. The author 

 draws special attention to the fact that the urease activity of the 

 „sword bean" {Canavalia ensifonnis) is many times greater than 

 that of any of the soy bean varieties tested, 



This is the case with both American of Indian seed. 



W. Neilson Jones. 



Cunningham, M. and C. Doree. The production of w-hy- 



droxy-s-methy Ifurfu raldehy de from carbohy drates 



and its influence on the estimation of pentosans and 



methylpentosans. (Biochem. Journ. VIII. p. 438—447. August 



1914.) 



The authors describe a series of experiments which have led 



them to the conclusion that w-hydroxy-s-methylfurfuraldehyde is a 



constant product, to the extent of one to two percent, of the action 



of dilute HCl on hexoses and on polyoses such as starch and cellu- 



lose, and is the substance responsible for the brown precipitate 



given with phloroglucinol and for the other superficial reactions of 



methylfurfuraldehyde which are obtained after hydrolysis. 



Owing to its slow formation it does not interfere with the accu- 

 racy of pentosan estimations made by the Kröber phloroglucinol 

 method, if aniline acetate is used as the indicator, though its occu- 

 rence renders previously made estimations of methylpentosan of 

 doubtful value. W. Neilson Jones. 



Mason, T. G., Preliminary Notes on the Carbohydrates 

 of the Musci. (Notes Bot. School Trin. Coli. Dublin. N^ 6. Vol. IL 

 p. 319—334. 1916.) 



The object of his research is to investigate the question of the 

 storage and translocation of carbohydrates in the Musci. The preli- 

 minary account deals with the methods of detection of the different 

 sugars and their occurrence in the three mosses, Polytrichum com- 

 nmne, Thtiidiuyn tamavisciniim and Sphagnum cynihifolium. 



The author finds that dextrose, levulose and sucrose occur in 

 all the types examined, and maitose in Polytrichum and Sphagnum 

 wherever starch is present. Sucrose is the first sugar to appear 

 after illumination and its amount increases by day, reaching a maxi- 

 mum late in the evening. After three days darkness there is a 

 marked diminution of the sucrose content. Hexoses also were de- 

 tected but in less amount, and these did not shew much diminution 

 on prolonged darkening. 



After discussing the possible interpretations of these results, 

 the author concludes that sucrose ist the first formed sugar in the 

 chloroplast and that in Polytrichum commune and Sphagnum cym- 

 bifolium the sugars travel as hexoses. This is in harmony with the 

 results of Brown and Morris for foliage leaves, of Parkin for 

 Galanthus and of Ru bland for Beta roots. E. M. Delf. 



