276 Keegan : The Chejnistry of Some Common Plants. 



The leaves at end of Augfust contain about 2 per cent, wax with 

 considerable carotin and a resinous substance yielding- fine red 

 solutions with mineral acids ; also an iron-g-reening, phloba- 

 phenic, catechol tannin along- with some tannoid, but no gallic 

 acid or free phloroglucin ; there is very much mucilage but very 

 little sugar or starch ; the ash of the leaf amounts to 5*7 per 

 cent, in dry which had 38*8 per cent, soluble salts, 24*8 lime, 

 5 magnesia, 5*5 P'^0% 10*5 SO", and 6*4 chlorine. The flowers 

 are tinged by carotin, and have also much wax and pectin with 

 only a little starch, tannoid, or proteid. I am not satisfied as 

 to the existence of a saponin in this plant. 



Purple Loosestrife [Lyihrum salicaria). — Botanists may 

 be interested to learn that I have found this plant in marshy 

 places quite unbeknown to local grubbers and separated by 

 several miles from habitats well-known to these gentry. 

 Marshy meadows and ditches away from the haunts of men 

 are decked quite superbly and unexpectedly with the pure 

 purplish spikes ranged compactly round the graceful high- 

 pitched stem. Systematically it is regarded as little more than 

 a saxifrage with united styles and scattered stamens, but the 

 chemistry hardly warrants the hypothesis of a close alliance 

 with the Rosacese or Leguminosge. For instance, it contains 

 gallotannin similar to that in the willow-herbs and enchanter's 

 nightshade ; there is much mucilage and sugar, and the above- 

 ground parts (minus the flowers) yield 7*3 per cent, of ash in 

 dry having 27 per cent, soluble salts, 31 '3 lime, 4 F^O'', 9'5i 

 SO", 5*6 CI, 4'2 SiO^, and very little manganese. The pigment 

 of the flowers is nearly pure, approaching that of the Sweet 

 Pea and Violet ; but not so well developed as that of the Meadow 

 Crane's Bill. 



Water Lily {Nymphasa alba). — This is the ' empress of the 

 lake,' and the 'delight of the waters.' Its head 'floats on the 

 tossing waves and courts the wind.' Unfortunately, owing to 

 lack of material, I am unable to present my own analysis of 

 this plant, and must therefore merely recite the researches of 

 Griining and Schulz-Fleeth, published some twenty years ago. 

 The thick flesh}^ rhizome prefers a peaty bottom, and contains 

 about 4 per cent, fat and resin, 10 tannin and phlobaphene, 

 6*25 glucose, 20 starch, 4 albumen, 23*6 lignin and cellulose, 

 and 5*5 ash. The thick stems have a bitter astringent taste, 

 and along with the old leaves yield 13 per cent, of ash in dry, 

 having 50 per cent, soluble salts, 18*9 lime, 0*5 silica, 2.58 

 P-0% I '2 SO'', and 17-9 chlorine. There is no alkaloid in the 



Naturalist, 



