UREDINE^E. 



[ 793 ] 



URIC ACID. 



565 (p. 594). The loculi of these have each 

 three or four pores in the upper part of the 

 side-walls, whence emerge in germination 

 (in spring) short tubular filaments, which 

 soon divide into four cells, from each of 

 which arises a minute " sporidium " borne 

 on a pointed sterigmatous process. 



Puccinia composite rum exhibits very simi- 

 lar phenomena ; its Uredo-friut has been 

 described as Uredo suaveolens. Fig. 777 

 represents a vertical section through an im- 

 mature sorus of this ; fig. 778 some of the 

 stylospores detached and germinating ; the 

 Outer spinulose coat is here fully developed, 

 and the tubular filaments are seen emerging 

 from the pores. The spores of the perfect 

 f raits of this genus differ from those of 

 Phragmidium in being bilocular, or, by abor- 

 tion, unilocular (see PTJCCINIA). 



In ^ECIDIIJM, CYSTOPUS, and some other 

 genera, spermogonia and stylosporous fruits 

 ( Uredo-fruits, Tulasne) have been observed. 

 In Cronartium, spermogonia are unknown, 

 but the Uredo-h-uit exists. In Podisoma 

 both spermogonia and Uredo-fruits are un- 

 known ; in both of these genera the perfect 

 fruits are placed on a fleshy columella or 

 ligula. 



We subjoin Tulasne's synopsis of the fa- 

 mily ; but as his generic characters are too 

 long to transcribe, the typical species only 

 can be cited. 



I. Albuginei, white or pale yellow, hetero- 



sporous. 

 Cystopus. Type, Uredo Candida. 



II. &cidinei, with a peridium, homceo- 



sporous. 

 Cceoma. Type, Uredo euonymi; U. 



pinguis. 

 AZcidium, Type, jEc. cichoracearum 



JE. tussilaginis, JE. violarum. 

 Rcestelia. Type, sE. cancellation. 

 Peridermium. Type, Per. pint. 



III. Melampsorei, solid, pulvinate, bif orm. 

 Melampsora. Type, Uredo populina ; 



U. capreearum. 



Cokosporium. Type, Uredo rhinantha- 

 cearum ; U. campanula. 



IV. Phragmidiacei, pulverulent, biform, 

 infuscate ; centre of the family. 



Phragmidium. Types, Phragmidium 



incrassat.um, with Uredo ruborum ; 



Puccinia potentilla, with Uredo poten- 



tiUarum. 



Triphragmium. Type, T. idmarice. 

 Puccinia. Type, Puccinia composita- 



n>m, with Ur. suaveolens ; P.graminis, 



with Ur. linearis. 



Uromyces. Type, Uredo Jicarice. 



Pileolaria = Uromyces ?, which itself 

 may consist of species of Puccinia 

 with spores unilocular by abortion. 



V. Pucciniei, fleshy, ligulate, or tremel- 



liform, naked and uniform in the 



fruits ; the largest plants of the 



family. 

 Podisoma. Type, P. juniperi commu- 



nis. 

 Gymnosporangium. Type, P. junipe- 



rinum. 



VI. Cronartiei, peridiate, biform, ligulate ; 

 perhaps the most highly organized of 

 all the genera. 



Cronartium. Type, Cr. asclepiadeum, 

 with Uredo vincetoxici j C. paonice, 

 with Ur.paonia. 



Genera cancelled by Tulasne : Uredo, 

 Epitea, Podocystis, Trichobasis, Lecythea, 

 Physonemttj Solenodonta. 



Genera referred to USTILAGINEI : Usti- 

 lago, TiUetia, Thecaphora. 



Doubtful USTILAGINEI : Protomyces, Po- 

 lycystis, Testicularia. 



BIBL. Berk. Br. Fl. ii. pt. 2. arts. &cid., 

 Puce., Uredo, $c. 5 Ann, N. H. i. 264, 2. v. 

 463 ; Tulasne, Ann. Sc. Nat. 3. vii. 12, 4. ii. 

 77; Le"veille, ib. 3. viii. 369; De Bary, 

 Brandpilze, 1853; Fries, Sum. Veg. 509; 

 Unger, Exanth. Plant. ; and the BIBL. of 

 the Genera. 



URIC ACID and URATES, or lithic 

 acid and lithates. Uric acid may easily be 

 procured in small quantities from human 

 urine, by adding a few drops of dilute mu- 

 riatic acid, and setting the liquid aside for 

 some hours, when it subsides in crystals. 

 In larger quantity it may be obtained by 

 heating the excrement of serpents with ex- 

 cess of dilute solution of potash, until the 

 odour of ammonia has disappeared, and fil- 

 tering the solution whilst hot into dilute 

 muriatic acid, when it falls in a colourless 

 state. Or the excrement may be digested, 

 without heat, with excess of strong sulphuric 

 acid, the mixture set aside that the impuri- 

 ties may subside, and subsequently poured 

 gradually into a large quantity of distilled 

 water. 



It exists also in the excrement of birds, 

 in the urine of Mollusca and Insecta, and of 

 all the Mammalia, excepting those which 

 are herbivorous ; it has also been found in 

 the human blood, of which it is probably a 

 normal constituent in minute quantity, al- 

 though mostly secreted with the urine as 

 soon as formed. 



