VoL. 31 No. 7 
BU Cie Ty iN 
OF THE 
TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB 
JULY, 1904 
Chemical notes on “ bastard ’’ logwood * 
BENJAMIN C. GRUENBERG AND WILLIAM J, GIES 
During the past few years the growers of logwood in Jamaica 
have been greatly disturbed by an apparent increase on their 
properties of an unmerchantable variety of the plant known as 
_ “bastard” logwood.+ The exportation of this wood along with 
. teal logwood has served to condemn all the logwood from the 
_ districts which have shipped it.t 
- “ Bastard’? logwood differs from the genuine varieties, from 
_ the dyer’s standpoint, in yielding little or no hematoxylin, but, 
instead, a yellowish-green pigment which is of no value and which, 
when admixed with the commercial extract, reduces the character- 
datic tinctorial properties of the latter. Chips of the “ bastard’ 
ood present a yellow, pale pink, white or even chocolate- 
Colored surface instead of the dark red or deep purple, bronze- 
tinted color of the best Jamaican or Mexican logwoods of 
commerce. There appears to be considerable uncertainty, even 
When the trees are cut down, as to whether a tree is really a 
‘mulatto ” (“bastard”) tree or not. What is known as a 
“mulatto”’ tree is frequently dark enough when first cut to lead 
= 
* 
a 
. 
: 
te 
ening with age as all the good wood does, it remains the same 
color or color or becomes lighter rather than darker. The “ bastard ” tree 
. ©. * From the New Vork Botanical Garden, New York. Some of the chemical work 
Was done in the laboratory of physiological chemistry of Columbia University. 
_ t Fawcett: Bulletin of the Botanical Department, Jamaica, 3: 179. 1896. 
Clipping from a Kingston, Jamaica, newspaper, sent to Dr. D. T. MacDougal 
Hon. William Fawcett (September, 1901). 
[The preceding number of the BuLLeTin, Vol. 31, No. 6, for June, 1904 (31: 
9-366, A/.13, 74) was issued 24 June, 1904. ] 
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