154 Keegan: The Chemistry of some Common Plants. 
spear-shaped leaves of this attractive plant. The chemistry is 
of special interest of itself, but as compared with that of the wild 
hyacinth, orchis, and other Monocotyledons it becomes of very 
eminent importance. About the year 1861 Waltz analysed the 
plant and found therein a white bitter principle of very rancid 
taste and a white non-volatile acid, both soluble in ether ; but it 
is difficult to make out exactly what either of these constituents 
is. On 3rd August the dried overground parts yielded 2 per 
cent. wax with a little carotin, and a yellow substance soluble 
in sulphuric acid with a deep brown colour; the alcoholic 
extract was bitter and acid, and contained a tannoid which 
precipitated bromine water, and seemed to be like quercitrin, but 
on boiling with dilute HCl it gave a granular crystalline deposit 
soluble in ether, and with sulphuric acid a brown solution; it was, 
therefore, a resinous bitter principle (probably identical with the 
scillin of Squill) ; there was also a considerable amount of free 
resin, a little sugar, very little mucilage, a good deal of soluble 
proteid, much starch, but no oxalate of calcium; the ash 
amounted to 4.3 per cent., and contained 66.3 per cent. soluble 
salts, 4.5 silica, 8.7 lime, 5.9 magnesia, 5 P?O5, 6.2 SO3, and 
17.5 chlorine. The special features of this analysis are 
extremely remarkable, viz., much starch in conjunction with 
much chlorine, and much organic acids along with very little 
mucilage or lime or its oxalate. In many of the allied monoco- 
tyledonous plants there is no starch, although there may be 
much mucilage and acids and much chlorine at the same time. 
The tissues of the Bog Asphodel are comparatively dry, it 
absorbs little water from the soil ; those of the other plants are 
very moist, and, as we have seen, a large percentage of water 
favours and prolongs the conversion of starch into sugar and 
the production of mucilage, and of soluble carbohydrates 
generally. On the other hand, the tendency in the Bog 
Asphodel is towards the production of insoluble carbohydrates, 
roughly the crude fibre amounts to 58 per cent. (that of the 
Orchis is only about 4o per cent.). The slender root fibres 
contain much starch internally. The aqueous extract of the 
whole plant yielded when fused with potass protocatechuic acid 
and phloroglucin. 
Bistort (Polygonum bistorta).—This is not a native plant in 
Lakeland, but it has strongly asserted and secured itself in 
certain special spots. It is what may be called a decisively 
chemical plant. On 5th June the dried leaf blades yielded 2 per 
cent. wax with a moderate quantity of carotin and a trace of 
Naturalist, 
