MISCELLANEOUS COMPOUNDS 289 



only among species in the family Vitaceae. Outside this family only 

 two other species, of a total of forty-four tested, accumulated tartaric 

 acid. These were Pelargonium hortorium (Geraniaceae) and Phaseolus 

 vulgaris (Leguminosae). According to Stafford, "The genetic factors 

 controlling this large scale accumulation must have arisen independ- 

 ently in each group since some closely related forms do not possess 

 this characteristic. Within these different taxa, however, the content 

 of tartaric acid can be used as a characteristic of taxonomic value." 



There are some organic acids which are rather difficult to 

 classify and which, because of their restricted distribution or associa- 

 tion with particular families, appear to be of potential systematic 

 value. One of these is the dicarboxylic acid, chelidonic acid, shown 

 below: 







HOOC^^qJ^COOH 



chelidonic acid 



The distribution of chelidonic acid was studied by Ramstad 

 (1945) who found only eleven positive species out of a total of 380 

 species representing 116 families. Ramstad (1953) extended his investi- 

 gations to include 1,143 additional species representing 238 genera in 

 nine families. Of these, 688 species (52 per cent) contained chelidonic 

 acid. The families with numerous species producing cheHdonic acid 

 are Lobeliaceae (eight out of fifteen species were positive), Thym- 

 elaeaceae (forty-two out of 152), Rhamnaceae (twenty-six out of sixty- 

 four), Hippocastanaceae (two out of six), Amaryllidaceae (seventy- 

 three out of 126), Haemodoraceae (four out of seven) and Liliaceae (170 

 out of 576). In the family Papaveraceae only two out of 116 species 

 were positive for chelidonic acid, though the name of the acid is 

 derived from the genus Chelidonium. The wide distribution of cheli- 

 donic acid in certain families is taxonomically interesting, and in the 

 case of the families Amaryllidaceae, Haemodoraceae, Liliaceae, and 

 Dioscoreaceae a somewhat natural group is represented. 



A number of other organic acids of a more complex nature, 

 whose distributions are not fully investigated, may ultimately be use- 

 ful as systematic criteria. Among these are abietic and neoabietic 

 acids of the genus Pinus, the complex cyclic sapogenins such as betu- 

 linic and bassic acids (the latter is common in the family Sapotaceae, 

 Haywood and Kon, 1940), and the sugar acids such as mucic and 

 saccharic acids. 



Antimicrobial Tests: Another potentially valuable biochemicsd 



