55 



currence of amylum even in the green globules of the more 

 highly developed plants, which is very easy in many water 

 plants and also in some succulent land plants; it was observed 

 in Tradescantia discolor and in Vallisneria spiralis, where each 

 globule exhibits a large amylum nucleus. Dr. Schleiden (1. c. 

 p. 531.) observed the sap globules of Ceratophyllum, and states 

 that they consist of amylum surrounded by chlorophylle. Si- 

 milar observations were made and published by me eleven 

 years ago on Vallisneria, and three years back on Trades- 

 cantia, Zanichellia 3 &c., but explained in a different manner, 

 and as it appears more correctly ; I observed that the amylum 

 granules in Vallisneria and in the other plants mentioned, 

 where they occur in the cells situated near the surface, were 

 coloured by chlorophylle, and this metamorphosis of amylum 

 into chlorophylle begins at the surface and increases the more 

 the globules are exposed to the influence of light, or in fact to 

 the influence of a more powerful process of carbonization. 

 This is the case with the occurrence of amylum granules in the 

 so-called chlorophylle globules, which in nature do not exist ; 

 as Dr. Schleiden also very correctly observes, that chlorophylle 

 is always an homogeneous, amorphous, waxy substance, but 

 I can certainly not agree with his subsequent statement that 

 it is spread over the amylum granules and cellular partitions. 

 Chlorophylle, this waxy substance, is formed by the plant in 

 very different ways, sometimes of amylum, at others of semi- 

 fluid, slimy substances, which are produced in the cellular 

 sap, at times of those more solid substances which most ge- 

 nerally constitute the base of the green sap globules, and which 

 assume a brownish tint with iodine, and as I suspect, consist 

 of coagulated nitrogenous nutritive substances. These sub- 

 strata are also formed in those cases w r here the development 

 of chlorophylle is suppressed, but they themselves are subject 

 under such circumstances to be dissolved and converted into 

 other substances. 



M.Mohl also found similar chlorophylle globules containing 

 amylum which becomes blue by iodine in separate portions of 

 many plants, for instance, in the cells of the cuticular glands 



conditions, in which I have several times coloured the larger green glo- 

 bules, as well as all the smaller with which the Closterium was filled, blue or 

 violet-blue, by means of iodine. Rep. 



