RESERVE CELLULOSE. 9 



h. Violet, or blue, or violet-brown. Exs. Iris pseudacorus. 



Polygonatum multiflorum. 

 Galtonia candicans. 

 Allium ursinum. 

 Tulipa gesiu'riana. 

 Scilla sibirica. 



Nageli^ groups together under the name amyloid, the carbohydrates which are 

 colored indigo-blue or clear violet by water solutions of iodine, and considers that where 

 a dirty violet or bluish brown color occurs, the substance is a transition form from 

 amyloid to mesamylin, by which term he characterizes the cellulose of the mem- 

 branes of plants, which is not colored at all, or only from yellowish to yellowish 

 brown, with iodine. This transition form he has found in the seeds of Iris giilden- 

 stedtiana and in some species of Liliaceae and Amaryllidaceae. Amyloid, according 

 to Reiss", is the constituent of the cell walls of plants, which is Ijlue with iodine and 

 does not yield mannose. 



He finds mannose-jdelding reserve cellulose in seeds of All'mm cepa, Asparagus 

 officinalis, Iris 2i>ie.iidacorus. In further characterizing the re.serve he says, " Gegen 

 jodreagentien, natronlauge, uud Scluilze'sches gemisch verhjilt sie sich ahnlich Avie 

 cellulose." 



The three seeds mentioned above do not react with iodine in the manner of 

 ordinary cellulose, and Iris pseudacorus shows a tendency to the blue color which 

 characterizes amyloid. 



Furthermore Reiss^ remarks, " Es war daher zu erwarten, dass das fiir die palmen 

 erraittelte, audi fiir die gauze familie der Liliaceen gelten iniichte. Ich habe 

 deshalb noch die samen von Asparagus officinalis verzuckert. Audi sie lieferten 

 seminose. Nun ist Asparagus ein vertreter aus der unterfamilie der Smilaceen 

 wahrend Allium der Lilieen angehort. Es berichtigt dies also um so mehr zu der 

 annahme dass alien Liliaceen mit verdicktem endosperm die gleidie form der reserve- 

 cellulose eigen ist." 



The natural conclusion from the above statements of Reiss would be that the 

 reserve cellulose in all the seeds of Liliaceae would react the same in the presence 

 of iodine. This is not found to be the case, as has been shown. On the other 

 hand, I am inclined to think that here, in some cases, as Schulze^ has found else- 

 where, there is a combination of substances, which would yield by hydrolysis differ- 



' C. Nilgeli, Die cliemi.sche zusammensetzimg der starke- ^ Reiss, Landw. iabrb., 18, s. 7-57. 



korner, s. 209-210. 18.'').''). 



- Reiss, Landw. jahrbiiclier, 18, a. 763. *Sclmlze. Ber. der dent, cliem. gesellsctaft, 24, s. 2279. 



