UREDINE.E. 



[ 793 ] 



URIC ACID. 



565 (p. 594). The loculi of these have each 

 three or foui- pores iu the upper part of the 

 side-walls, whence emerge m geruiiuation 

 (in spring) short tubular filaments, which 

 soon divide into four cells, from each of 

 which arises a minute " sporidiimi " borne 

 on a pointed sterigmatous process. 



Puccinia composiUtrum exhibits very simi- 

 lar phenomena ; its Uredo-hmt has been 

 described as TJredo suaveohns. Fig. 777 

 represents a vertical section through an im- 

 mature sorus of this ; fig. 778 some of the 

 stylospores detached and germinating ; the 

 outer spinulose coat is here fully developed, 

 and the tubular filaments are seen emerging 

 from the pores. The spores of the perfect 

 fruits of this genus ditfer from those of 

 rhragmidium in being bilocular, or, by abor- 

 tion, imilocular (see Puccinia). 



In ^ciDiUM, Cystopus, and some other 

 genera, spermogonia and styhsporous fruits 

 ( Uredo-fruits, Tulasne) have been observed, 

 in Cronarfimn, spermocionia are unknovra, 

 but the C-^;-efZo-fruit exists. In Podisoma 

 both s^iermogonia and Uredo-ivmts, are un- 

 known ; in both of these genera the perfect 

 fr'uits are placed on a fleshy columella or 

 ligula. 



We subjoin Tulasne's synopsis of the fa- 

 mily ; but as his generic characters are too 

 long to transcribe, the typical species only 

 can be cited. 



I. Albuginei, white or pale yeUow, hetero- 



sporous. 

 Cystopus. Type, Uredo Candida. 



II. ^cidinei, with a peridium, homoeo- 



sporous. 

 Cceoma. Type, Uredo euonymi; U. 



jnnguis. 

 j^cidimn. Type, ^c. cichoracearum ; 



^. tussilaginis, ^. violarum. 

 Roestelia. Tj^pe, yfi". cancellatum. 

 Peridermium. Type, Per. pint. 



III. Melampsorei, soUd, pulvinate, biform. 

 Melamjisora. Type, Uredo populiwi ; 



U. caprcearum. 

 Coleosporkwi. Type, Uredo rhinantha- 

 cearum ; U. campanidce. 



IV. Phragmidiacei, pulverulent, biform, 

 infuscate ; centre of the family. 



Phragmidimn. T>-pes, Phragmiditmi 



incrussatiim, with Uredo ruhorum ; 



Puccinia potentillce, witli Uredo poten- 



tillarum. 

 Tri})hragmium. Type, T. ulmurice. 

 Puccinia. T}"pe, Puccinia composita- 



7-«?;i, with Ur. suaveolens ; P.graminis, 



with Ur. linearis. 



Uromyces. Type, Uredo Jicartce. 



Pileolaria = Uromyces ?, which itself 

 may consist of species of Puccinia 

 with spores unilocular by abortion. 



V. Piicciniei, fleshy, ligulate, or trcmel- 



liform, naked and uniform in the 

 fruits ; the largest plants of the 

 family. 



Podisoma. Type, P. jimiperi commu- 

 nis. 



Gymnospo7'angium. Type, P. junipe- 

 rinum. 



VI. Cronartici, peridiate, biform, ligulate ; 

 perhaps the most highly organized of 

 all the genera. 



Cronartium. Type, Cr. asclepiadeum, 

 with Uredo vincetoxici ; C. pxeonice, 

 with Ur. piOionicB. 



Genera cancelled by Tulasne : — Uredo, 

 Epitea, Podocystis, Trichobasis, Lecythea, 

 Physonema, Solenodonta. 



Genera referred to Ustilaginei : — Usti- 

 lago, Tilletia, Thecaphora. 



Doubtful UsTiJGAGiNEi : — Protomyces, Po- 

 lycystis, Testicuhiria. 



BiBL. Berk. Br. Fl. ii. pt. 2. arts, ^cid., 

 Puce, Uredo, 8,-c. ; Ann, N. H. i. 264, 2. v. 

 463 ; Tulasne, Ann. So. Nat. 3. \ii. 12, 4. ii. 

 77 ; Leveille, ib. 3. viii. 369 ; De Bary, 

 Brandpilze, 1853; Fries, Sum. Veg. 509; 

 Uuger, Exanth. Plant. ; and the Bibl. of 

 the Genera. 



URIC ACID and URATES, or lithic 

 acid and lithates. — Uric acid may easily be 

 procured in small quantities from human 

 urine, by adding a few drops of dilute mu- 

 riatic acid, and setting the liquid aside for 

 some hours, when it subsides in crystals. 

 In larger quantity it may be obtained by 

 heating the excrement of serpents with ex- 

 cess of dilute solution of potash, until the 

 odoiu' of ammonia has disappeared, and fil- 

 tering the solution whilst hot into dilute 

 muriatic acid, when it falls in a colourless 

 state. Or the excrement may be digested, 

 without heat, with excess of strong sulphuric 

 acid, the mixture set aside that the impmi- 

 ties may subside, and subsequently poured 

 gradually into a large quantity of distilled 

 water. 



It exists also iu the excrement of birds, 

 in the urine of MoUusca and Insecta, and of 

 all the Mammalia, -excepting those which 

 are herbivorous ; it has also been found in 

 the human blood, of which it is probably a 

 normal constituent in minute quantity, al- 

 though mostly secreted with the urine as 

 soon as formed. 



