874 SUMMARY or CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Colouring Matter of Flowers.*— A. Hansen has separated the 

 two constituents of clilorophyll by Kiilme's method. He has also ex- 

 amined the colouring matter of flowers. The yellow pigment is 

 lipochrome, and can be crystallized. It shows two bands in the blue 

 and no fluorescence ; that described by Pringsheim resulted from a 

 small admixture of chlorophyll. The red colouring matter is in a 

 state of solution in the cells. The spectrum shows a broad band 

 between D and h. The shades of red are often caused by an admixture 

 of lipochrome, as in Papaver, Lilium hulhiferum, &c. The blue and 

 ■violet pigments are also in a state of solution, and show bauds in 

 the red half of the spectrum. Acted on by acids they become red. 

 None of these pigments show spectra resembling that of chloro- 

 phyll, except when a small quantity of that substance is present. 



Botanical Micro-Chemistry. t — The firm named at foot published 

 during last year a price-current founded on Poulsen's ' Botanisk 

 Mikrokcmi ' ; it now publishes an exceedingly complete list (88 num- 

 bers against 64 in the previous publication), including all the more im- 

 portant microscopic reagents recommended by botanists up to the end 

 of June 1883. It has been made in accordance with the suggestions 

 of W. J. Behrens, the compiler of the ' Handbook for carrying out 

 Microscopical Investigations in the Botanical Laboratory,' partly con- 

 tained in that book, and partly, as far as the newer reagents are con- 

 cerned, from his communications by letter. Special attention may be 

 called to the fact that it includes all the means employed for colouring 

 the nucleus, and all the more important pigments for investigations of 

 bacteria, including that employed in the ' Koch-Ehrlich-Eindfleisch ' 

 method for preparations of tubercular bacilli. Supplemental lists 

 will be added from time to time, to include anything fresh. Prof. 

 Behrens recommends these reagents, guaranteed to be of the greatest 

 possible purity, the price being also moderate. 



B. CRYPTO GAMI A. 



Cryptogamia Vascularia. 



Vascular Bundles of the Leaf of Sphenophyllum.t— B. Renault 

 thus describes the structure of the vascular bundles in the leaf of the 

 fossil genus Sphenophyllum. A transverse section shows the following 

 elements : — 



1. A layer of the upper ei)idermis, that is, of the surface facing 

 the branch when the leaf is erect. 



2. A layer of the lower epidermis. 



3. A mass of fundamental tissue. 



4. Some vascular bundles, the number of which corresponds to that 



* SB. Phys.-med. Gesellsch. Wurzburg, July 30th, 1882. See Bot. Ceutralbl., 

 XV. (188.S) p. 254. 



t ' ButauisL'he Miki'ochtmiie. Chemisch reine Eeagentien zum Gebrauch in 

 botaiiisch-pliysiologisch<m Instituten, nach Dr. W. J. Behrens mid Dr. V. A. 

 Poulsen zusummcnij;cstellt. Chemische Fabrik vou Dr. Theodor Sehuchardt in 

 Giirlilz (Pr. Schlesion).' See Bot. Ceutralbl., xv. (1883) p. 158. 



X Coniptcb Reudus, xcvii. (1883) pp. 0-49-51. 



