NARCISSUS. 



593 



ANILINE REACTIONS. 



With gentian violet the grains all color very lightly 

 at once, and in 30 minutes they are moderately colored 

 (value 45). The grains are all equally colored, and there 

 is no variation in the depth of color in different parts 

 of an individual grain. 



With safranin the grains all color, very lightly at once, 

 and in 30 minutes they are moderately colored (value 

 50), more than with gentian violet. The grains are all 

 equally colored and there is no variation in depth of color 

 in different parts of an individual grain. 



Comparison of the aniline reactions between N. trian- 

 drus albus and N. emperor shows : 



With gentian violet the grains color light to moder- 

 ately (value 35), much less than in N. emperor. 



With safranin they color light to moderately (value 

 40), much less than in N. emperor. 



TEMPERATURE REACTIONS. 



The temperature of gelatinization of the majority of 

 the grains.is 69 to 71 C., and of all is 74 to 75.5 C., 

 the mean is 74.53 C. 



Comparison of the temperature reactions between N. 

 triandrus albus and N. emperor shows : 



The temperature of gelatinization is somewhat less, 

 73 to 75 C., mean 74 C. 



EFFECTS OF VARIOUS REAGENTS. 



The reaction with chloral hydrate begins in rare 

 grains in 30 seconds. Complete gelatinization occurs in 

 less than 0.5 per cent of the entire number of grains and 

 2 per cent of the total starch in 5 minutes; in about 2 

 per cent of the grains and 6 per cent of the total starch 

 in 15 minutes; in about 13 per cent of the grains and 

 18 per cent of the total starch in 30 minutes; in about 

 lo per cent of the grains and 23 per cent of the total 

 starch in 45 minutes; and in about 23 per cent of the 

 grains and 28 per cent of the total starch in 60 minutes. 

 (Chart D 341.) 



The hilum becomes distinct, accompanied by the for- 

 mation of a large bubble in a moderate number of grains. 

 The lamella? are, at first, not visible, but later become 

 distinct in all the grains. The grains become more re- 

 fractive in appearance after the addition of the reagent, 

 and the first part of the grain to show this change is a 

 rather narrow band of starch at the margin. Gela- 

 tinization begins at either the distal or the proximal end 

 and progresses according to two methods. In the first, 

 which is seen in the majority of the grains, which are also 

 the more resistant grains, gelatinization begins at various 

 points on the distal margin, then the marginal starch 

 is partially separated from the rest by a refractive 

 fissure which extends on either side to the proximal end, 

 and is gelatinized. Following this the proximal end is 

 gelatinized and the hilum swells, and if a bubble is pres- 

 ent it swells, then shrinks and disappears, and a longi- 

 tudinal fissure extends distally through the ungelatin- 

 ized starch, splitting it into two pieces which are gela- 

 tinized independently of one another. In the second 

 method gelatinization begins at the distal end only and 

 progresses toward the hilum and proximal end, pre- 

 ceded by some fissuring and splitting off of particles 

 from the ungelatinized material, or it begins at the distal 

 end and then at the proximal end and progresses from 

 these two points, the portion just distal to the hilum being 



the last to be gelatinized. The gelatinized grains are 

 considerably swollen, have thin capsules, and are much 

 distorted. 



Comparison of the chloral-hydrate reaction between 

 N. triandrus albus and N. emperor shows : 



The hilum becomes distinct, accompanied by the 

 formation of a bubble much more frequently than in 

 N. emperor. The lamella? are never visible. The grains 

 become as refractive as in N. emperor after the reagent 

 is added, the first part to be affected being the margin. 

 Gelatinization begins at the distal margin, and progresses 

 in general according to the two methods described in N. 

 emperor. In the first, which is seen in the same number 

 of grains as in N. emperor, the main differences to be 

 noted are that there is no preliminary serial separation 

 of the lamella? and that the margin is not gelatinized 

 much more rapidly than the rest of the grain, so that the 

 proximal end is the last part of the grain to be gela- 

 tinized instead of the portion just distal to the hilum, 

 which is not split into two pieces as in N. emperor. In 

 the second method the main differences noted are that 

 gelatinization always begins first at the distal end, in- 

 stead of sometimes at the proximal and then at the distal 

 end, and the progress is somewhat smoother than in N. 

 emperor. The gelatinized grains are considerably swol- 

 len, the capsules are somewhat less thin, and they are 

 not so much distorted as in N. emperor. 



The reaction with chromic acid begins in 1 minute. 

 Complete gelatinization occurs in less than 0.5 per cent 

 of the entire number of grains and 3 per cent of the 

 total starch in 5 minutes; in about 24 per cent of the 

 grains and 39 per cent of the total starch in 15 minutes; 

 in about 36 per cent of the grains and 75 per cent of the 

 total starch in 30 minutes; in about 42 per cent of the 

 grains and 94 per cent of the total starch in 45 minutes ; 

 and in about 57 per cent of the grains and 97 per cent 

 of the total starch in 60 minutes. (Chart D 342.) (See 

 footnote, page 516.) 



The hilum becomes distinct, unattended by the for- 

 mation of a bubble. The lamellae are distinct, and evi- 

 dence of a lamellar structure persists throughout the 

 greater part of the reaction. Gelatinization begins at the 

 hilum and progresses according to but one method in all 

 but rare grains. Two furrows or fissures extend hori- 

 zontally from either side of the hilum to the margin, and 

 the primary deposit which is around the hilum is cracked 

 and broken into several portions which later are sub- 

 divided into coarse granules. The secondary starch dis- 

 tal to the 2 furrows, except a narrow band of material 

 at the margin, is divided by coarse striae and then by 

 several irregular branching fissures and gelatinizes slowly 

 with considerable swelling of the grain. The starch 

 proximal to the 2 fissures is coarsely striated, and as the 

 grain swells it, in conjunction with the narrow band of 

 starch around the distal margin, forms a continuous, 

 coarsely striated, and lamellated marginal band which is 

 thicker and less refractive and more resistant at the proxi- 

 mal end. The granules of the primary starch are scat- 

 tered around the inner border of this band, and often 

 remain after the rest of the grain is gelatinized, but 

 usually are themselves gelatinized later. In some grains 

 the capsule at the distal end is dissolved before gela- 

 tinization is complete and the contents flow out and are 

 dissolved. In most of the grains, however, the starch 



