the Protein Bodies of Zea , Ricinus, mid Conopholis . 357 
In a foregoing paragraph attention was called to the many leucoplast- 
like bodies in the cytoplasm at certain stages of development (Figs. 7, 8), 
and the suggestion was made that they might be oil plastids or the remains 
of oil plastids. Inasmuch as castor oil is miscible in alcohol it is not 
possible to preserve the oil in the preparations. These bodies are more 
numerous than the transitory starch found in young endosperm cells, and 
as they do not react towards the stains quite like real starch inclusions, but 
remain unstained, or take on a pale brownish colour, it seems not impossible 
that they are concerned in the synthesis of castor oil. 
Conopholis. 
For the reason that many bodies are present in the tissues of stem and 
scale leaves of the phanerogamic parasite Conopholis americana , as shown 
by the ordinary microchemical tests, it was decided to look into the origin 
of such protein bodies. The meristematic cells of the young organs show 
the same structure as observed in plants in general, namely, numerous small 
and densely staining granules or short rods. As the cells become older and 
pass over into the mature condition, many of these bodies enlarge and stain 
densely with iron-haematoxylin, as in the case of protein granules in other 
plants (Figs. 12-14). In a young epidermal cell from the wall of the 
ovary the primordia of the plastids are numerous and of uniform size 
(Fig. 12). In cells beneath the epidermis in the same region larger globular 
bodies may appear sooner than in the epidermis (Fig. 13), but in somewhat 
older parts — for example, those of the floral envelope — the large globular 
bodies of Figs. 14 and 15 are as numerous as in cells lying within. From 
Figs. 14 and 15 it seems clear that the large globular bodies have arisen 
from the small primordia, as all gradations in size are present. It is not 
difficult to imagine how conspicuous sections of tissues appear when 
observed with either low or high magnification if composed of cells like 
Figs. 14-16. As the cells increase in size and age many of the globular 
bodies increase in size and stain so densely as to appear a deep black 
(Fig. 16). These cells taken from the cortex of the flower pedicel reveal 
the fact that there are also leucoplasts, though in smaller numbers. An 
iodine test of fresh and alcoholic stems of Conopholis demonstrates the 
presence of starch here and there in the older, as well as in younger, tissues 
of the cortex especially. In the cells represented in Fig. 16 the starch 
grains, both simple and compound, are aggregated sometimes about the 
nucleus and sometimes in the corners or other parts of the cell. They are 
small and relatively few in number as compared with the protein granules. 
The latter vary greatly not only in size but in staining capacity. Some are 
uniformly black in appearance, whilst others, especially among the smaller, 
have a dense centre and a paler periphery. Certain of these are almost 
colourless, with a sharp contour and a dense spot in the centre. 
