AMARYLLIS BRUNSVIGIA. 



383 



been inclosed in a lamellated secondary starch forma- 

 tion. The grains are less regular in form than those 

 of A. belladonna and the irregularities are due to the 

 following causes : (1) indentations in the margin of vary- 

 ing depth, number, and distribution, an irregularity not 

 noted hi A. belladonna; (2) rounded and pointed pro- 

 tuberances, of which there may be one or more from a 

 single grain and which may project from any part of the 

 margin; (3) secondary and tertiary sets of lamella whose 

 longitudinal axis is at an angle with that of the primary 

 set. The grains are much more varied in form than those 

 of A. belladonna because of the many irregularities, but 

 appear to be derived from the ovoid, elliptical, and len- 

 ticular types. The conspicuous forms are broad and 

 slender ovoid, pure ovoid, elliptical and triangular, with 

 slightly or very much rounded angles; also lenticular, 

 dome-shaped, pyriform, nearly round, diamond-shaped, 

 and irregularly polygonal forms. The grains are usually 

 somewhat flattened, differing in this from those of A. 

 belladonna which are not flattened. 



The hilum is a small, round, rather refractive spot 

 which is more distinct than in A. belladonna; it is rarely 

 fissured, resembling A. belladonna. More than one 

 hilum appears in the compound grains, but each is 

 always surrounded with its own lamella except in the 

 case of a few compounds which have four or more hila 

 for which separate lamella; can not be demonstrated. 

 The hilum is either centric, or eccentric from 0.48 to 0.2 

 usually of 0.35 of the longitudinal axis. It is usually less 

 eccentric than in A. belladonna. 



The lamella are not so fine as and are more distinct 

 than those of A. belladonna. Immediately around the 

 hilum they are circular and regular, but the rest tend to 

 be very irregular in form and often do not follow the 

 contour of the outline of the grain unless near the mar- 

 gin. In the latter respects they differ from those of 

 A. belladonna, which are regular and follow the form of 

 the outline of the grain. In the compound grains there 

 are two and sometimes three sets of lamellae, usually 

 separated from one another by broad refractive spaces, 

 which separation represents as many different periods of 

 starch formation. The number counted on the larger 

 grains varies from 18 to 30, usually 24. The average 

 number on the grains is much less than in A. belladonna. 



In size the grains vary from the smaller which are 

 10 by 8/i to the larger broad forms which are 42 by 60/x, 

 and 54 by CO/* in length and breadth, and the larger 

 narrow forms which are 50 by 36/* and 64 by 54^ in 

 length and breadth. The common sizes are 40 by 40/t and 

 34 by 28/t. The grains are on the average smaller than 

 those of A. belladonna but broader in proportion to 

 length, and the larger grains are nearly the same length 

 and, as a rule, broader. 



PoLAiuscoric PROPERTIES. 



The figure varies from centric to very eccentric, 

 many moderately eccentric, the mean eccentric, it being 

 much less eccentric than in A. belladonna; the figure 

 varies from moderately distinct to distinct, the mean less 

 distinct than in A. belladonna. The lines vary from fine 

 to coarse, the mean moderately fine, coarser than in A. 

 belladonna. The lines intersect either at right angles, or 

 obliquely, or are arranged as a median line with bisected 



ends, more frequently with oblique intersection ; much 

 more varied, with the mean less oblique than in A. bella- 

 donna. The lines in the majority of the figure are 

 straight with broadening at the margin, but are often 

 either bent or bisected. Distortion and bisection are much 

 more frequent than in A. belladonna. Compound fig- 

 ures moderately frequent, much more frequent than in 

 A. belladonna. 



The degree of polarization varies from moderately 

 high to very high (value 85), the majority being high; 

 the mean is considerably lower than in A. belladonna. 

 Variation occurs not only in the individual grains but 

 frequently in the same aspect of a given grain, much 

 more than in A. belladonna. 



With selenite the quadrants vary from sharp to 

 poorly defined, the mean being much less sharp than in 

 A. belladonna. They are usually unequal in size and 

 often irregular in shape, much more irregular in shape 

 than in A. belladonna. The blue is generally pure, 

 though a variation in brilliancy of the same quadrant is 

 often present ; the yellow is frequently impure in a part 

 of the quadrant, due to either a brownish or an orange 

 color, which is found at the point of intersection of the 

 quadrants and diffuses over considerable of the quadrant, 

 this impurity evidently being due to the variation in the 

 degree of polarization in the quadrants. An impurity 

 of both colors due to a greenish tinge is sometimes pres- 

 ent, though of less frequency than in A. belladonna. 



IODINE REACTIONS. 



With an 0.25 Lugol's solution the grains color a 

 moderate to deep (value 60) blue with a slight reddish 

 tint, a little deeper and more bluish than in A. bella- 

 donna, the color deepens quickly to deep, becoming more 

 bluish in tint. With 0.125 Lugol's solution the grains 

 color very light blue with slight reddish tint, but a little 

 deeper than in A. belladonna; it deepens very little. 

 After heating in water until the grains are gelatinized, 

 and then adding 2 per cent Lugol's solution, the grains 

 color light blue to very deep blue, many with a reddish 

 tint becoming heliotrope; mean is moderate to deep; 

 there is a greater variation in depth with the mean 

 lighter, as well as more reddish than in A. belladonna; 

 the solution becomes a deep blue, somewhat deeper and 

 not quite so pure in color as in A. belladonna. If the 

 preparation is boiled for 2 minutes and then treated with 

 an excess of 2 per cent Lugol's solution the grain-resi- 

 dues color a deep to very deep blue, many with a reddish 

 tint; a greater number of the very deep, mean deep to 

 very deep, deeper and more of reddish tint than in 

 A. belladonna. The capsules color a light old-rose to 

 deep amethyst, more of the deep, hence the mean is moder- 

 ate to deep (value 65), somewhat deeper and more red- 

 dish in tint than in A. belladonna. The solution be- 

 comes a very deep indigo blue, slightly deeper than in 

 A. belladonna. 



ANILINE REACTIONS. 



With gentian violet the grains stain lightly at once, 

 a little deeper than in A. belladonna; in half an hour the 

 grains become moderate to deep in color (value 57), 

 slightly deeper than in A. belladonna. There is some 

 slight unevenness in the individual grains, but only rare 

 grains are deep in color. 



