Angewandte Botanik. 77 



'& 



Stoffen der Same ist, schlagt der Verf. vor bei der Verwendung 

 von Kiefernsaatgut eine Sortirung nach der Grösse des Samens zu 

 grund zu legen und beschreibt eine Methode wie dies unter Ver- 

 wendung der Kayserschen Zentrifuge geschehen könnte. 



Neger. 



Holm, T., Medicinal plants of North America. 68. Sapo- 

 naria officmalis. L. (Merck's Report. XXII. p. 9-12. f. 1 — 14. New 

 York. Jan. 1913.) 



As indicated by the name the plant imparts to water the pro- 

 pert}' of forming a lather when agitated, like a Solution of soap, 

 and this property, as well as the medical virtues depends upon the 

 presence of saponin; this principle was first found by ßucholz. 

 The plant is described and figured, and a large drawing shows the 

 stoloniferous rhizome. very seldom figured or described even. An 

 account is given of the internal structure of the vegetative organs, 

 and some of the most interesting features are illustrated. Similar to 

 Lepigoniun , Spevgularia and Polycarpaea the root-structure is some- 

 what anomalous, though not in the same wa3^ In Saponaria isoXsLted. 

 spiral-vessels traverse the pith. In the stem is no endodermis, but 

 a completely closed, stereomatic pericycle, from which cork and 

 phelloderm become developed. The leaves are dorsiventral so far 

 as concerns the structure of the chlorenchyma, but not in respect 

 to the distribution of the stomata which are present on both faces 

 of the leaf-blade. A waterstorage tissue surrounds the midrib, and 

 there are a few layers of collenchyma above and below this. No 

 stereome occurs in the leaf, and the structure is altogether very weak. 



Theo Holm. 



Holm, T., Medicinal plants of North America. 6 9. Vibur- 

 num prunifolium L. (Merck's Report. XXII. p. 35 — 36. f. 1 — 16. 

 New York. Febr. 1913.) 



The bark is official, and the root-bark is more highly esteemed 

 than that of the branches; it contains a brown resinous body of a 

 very bitter taste, beside a greenish yellow resin of a bitter taste, 

 called by Kraemer „viburnin"; furthermore valeric acid, tannic 

 acid etc. The plant including the internal structure is described and 

 figured. No „reseau de soutien" was observed in the roots, otherwise 

 characteristic of several species of the genus; in the secondary cortex 

 a circular band of isolated Strands of stereids becomes developed. 

 In the young internodes is a continuous band of collenchyma from 

 which cork arises; no endodermis was observed, and the pericycle 

 represents merely isolated arches of stereome outside the leptome. 

 Very remarkable is the leaf-structure by the stomata possessing 

 subsidiary cells parallel with the Stoma, a structure that is very 

 rare in Caprifoliaceae ; but especially by the presence of large scle- 

 reids underneath the dorsal epidermis, reaching sometimes the 

 ventral epidermis. The structure of these sclereids agree with those 

 of Hamamelis (Merck's Report Jan. 1912), and which are known 

 also from certain species of Cornaceae , but, so far, they have not 

 been found in the Caprifoliaceae. The leaf-structure is dorsiventral. 

 but the palisadecells are rather short; in the very open pneumatic 

 tissue are large cells containing aggregated crystals of calcium- 

 oxalate; the mechanical tissues are poorly represented. 



Theo Holm. 



