Keegan: The Chemistry of some Common Plants. 223 
and consist only of palisade and water tissue, which accounts 
for the ‘soapy meal’ coating their lower sides. The whole 
leaves on 17th June yielded only 1-3 per cent of wax with much 
carotin. A great quantity of chlorophyll was extracted by 
hot alcohol, also traces of a tannoid like quercetin, some sugar, 
and much resin dissolving brown to red-brown in sulphuric 
acid. There was very much pectosic mucilage (epiderm is non- 
shmed), no reserve starch, but a great deal of oxalate of 
calcium which persistently precipitated as crystal-sand, and 
not in well-formed crystals. The ash of the overground parts 
of the plant contained 58-8 per cent. soluble salts, 4:3 silica, 
99 lime, 4:I- magnesia, 7:3 P®O?, 3.3503, and 7-2 chlorine; 
there was some manganese, and very much soluble carbonates. 
The above analysis represents that of a powerful nitrate plant 
nourished quite independently of mycorhiza or bacteria, hence 
its distribution may be explained by its keen and eager need 
and demand for nitrogenous refuse, such as animals supply. 
The starch produced is readily resorbed, and the fact that only 
the lower portions of the stem exhibit a red or pink colour 
(like rhubarb), indicates that it is there where the chief drain 
on the nitrogenous nuclei of the albumenoids takes place, 
which it need hardly be said, is the very reverse of what happens 
in numerous other plants. 
SEA PINK (Armeria maritima)—This delicate and beautiful 
seaside plant is brimful of personal associations. In lonely 
places by the sandy seashore it hangs out its lovely array of 
pure pink tassels from amidst cushions of sharp grass-like 
leaves. On lofty mountains, too, it fixes its seat in the crevices 
of hard rock. Its morphological characters are those of 
halophytes, viz., reduction of transpiration surface, profile 
position of the leaves, abundant hairs, mucilage- cells, water- 
fissues, etc. © 1t1s easily cultivated, and is near “the Primroses, 
or the Ribworts according to some authors. On 5th June, the 
dried overground parts yielded 1.5 per cent. of wax with some 
carotin, but no fatty matter apparently. There was con- 
siderable tannin which was precipitated greenish-black by 
iron salts, also precipitated gelatine, bromine water, and tartar 
emetic, and yielded a phlobaphene by dilute acids ; also some 
cane-sugar and resin were found, but no phloroglucin or bitter 
principle. A large quantity of mucilage was extracted chiefly 
by dilute soda, but there was no reserve starch or oxalate of 
calcium. The ash of the plant (unwashed) contained 25 per 
cent. soluble salts, 33-3 silica and sand, 11-1 lime, 5-3 oxide of 
iron, 6:1P?0°, 5-4SO0* and 5-3 chlorine ; there was some man- 
ganese, but little carbonate. Making the silica percentage here 
to be about 15, the other percentages must be raised about 
one-sixth. Here, then, we have a plant. which produces true 
tannin and not tannoid merely, and which, moreover, seems un- 
Igil June 1. 
