42 



be assumed to be of the plastid type — that is, they occur, as 

 chloropyll does, in small particles which are nearly or quite 

 insoluble in water but more readily soluble in alcohol or other 

 solvents of fat. 



It may be noted that the flowers which give anthocyan re- 

 actions are precisely those in which albinism is commonest; it 

 is at least ver>'- rare in those giving plastid reactions. It would 

 seem, then, to be a phenomenon associated with anthocyan 

 rather than with the apparently more stable plastid pigments. 



D. Certain other yellow flowers give about equally good sol- 

 utions in water and in alcohol; these are unchanged, or pract- 

 ically so, with acid but turn a brillant deep red with ammonia. 

 This reaction I have happened to see only in Coreopsis lanceolata. 

 The color produced with ammonia is essentially the same as 

 that which occurs at the base of the rays in other species of 

 Coreopsis, in some color-forms of Rudheckia hirta and in some of 

 the western cone-flowers. Probably we have here the third of 

 the "fundamental" plant pigments listed in the books — an 

 unnamed, primarily yellow pigment occurring dissolved in the 

 cell-sap. 



The change from yellow to red with ammonia resembles the 

 color variation in Trillium, etc., described in paragraph 5 above; 

 but it is not what happens in those cases. Typical TriUiuni 

 erectum and Castilleja coccinea and the red form of Pedicidaris 

 canadensis give the regular anthocyan reaction as in B. The 

 yellow forms of all these give the plastid pigment reaction as in 

 C. A solution from bracts of Castilleja coccinea which, had been 

 boiled until all the red color had disappeared also gave the C re- 

 action. I could not get as clear-cut results from the Trillium 

 or the Pedicidaris; in them, the boiled petals continued to give 

 a weak anthocyan reaction. Nevertheless it seems to me likely 

 that in all these cases, as with the xanthophyll and erythro- 

 phyll of autumn leaves and other instances described in the 

 books, two pigments are concerned, a red anthocyan and a 

 yellow plastid. The latter is masked by the former when that 

 is present, but comes into its own when for any cause the an- 

 thocyan is withdrawn. 



How much value the results of these rough and simple tests 

 have, the experts must determine. But they seem to be con- 

 sistent and coherent as far as they go; and the getting of them is 

 good fun. I recommend it to anyone in search of new ways of 

 botanizing. 



East Hartford, Conn. 



