182 THE FLORIST AND 
causes. The two most deserving of notice are the one of Schubler and 
Funck of Tubingen, and the other of Macquart. 
Both theories consider green as the original color, but the means by 
which the variations are produced are accounted for on very different 
principles by the supporters of the two theories. Schubler and Funck 
maintain that all variations from green are produced by acid or alkaline 
secretions. The green chromule, acted on by these substances, assumes 
every variety of hue. The hues assumed by the flowers are determined by 
the different agents by which they are produced, with the exception of 
red; this is common to both. Those produced by the action of the 
alkaline secretions, from green, are — Greenish-blue, Blue, Violet-blue, 
Violet, Violet-red, Red. 
This is called the Blue, Cyanic, or Beoxydized series, and any variation 
of color from one of these hues will always be by passing into some other 
of the sam^ series. Those colors produced by the acid secretions are — 
Yellow-green, Yellow, Orange-yellow, Orange, Orange-red, Eed. These 
constitute what is called the yellow, xantJiie, or oxydized series. 
This theory has been attacked by the most able physiologists, and they 
have considered themselves successful in pointing out errors in experiments 
and observations which are sufficient to invalidate this extensively received 
theory. Mohl, in a memoir in the Annales des Sciences Naturelles, vol. 
ix., p. 212, examines various theories on this subject, with apparent 
impartiality, and gives his decided preference to the following theory of 
Macquart, although it does not receive his unqualified approbation. 
Macquart admits that the various colors are owing to the various modifi- 
cations of Chlorophyll, but denies that it is owing to its being oxydized by 
acids, or deoxydized by alkalies, but that it is converted into two distinct 
substances by the addition and abstraction of water. By the loss of water 
it is converted into a blue substance, called anthocyane, which is soluble in 
water, but not in alcohol. By the addition of water, the chlorophyll is 
converted into a yellow substance, called antlioxanthine, which is partly 
soluble in alcohol, and partly in water. These two substances form the 
basis of the two series of colors above given. They both sometimes exist 
in the same flower, but occupy different cells ; the anthoxanthine being 
situated in the inferior cells, while the anthocyane occupies the superficial 
ones. This gives a great variety of tints, according as the colors of the 
inferior cells are more or less distinctly exhibited through the superior 
layers. By the action of acid and alkaline secretions, these substances 
